The Star Squad
by MoonStarPower
Summary: The story consists of a variance of different genres  Humor, Romance, Action, Drama, Tragedy, suspense  mixed into one.  The main focus is on characters in the Mario game series, with a mix of events from the games, as well as a mix of my original work
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 ~The Beginning of All~

"Look my lovely shining star; do not forget your destiny, from light or darkness…."

"I have a greater purpose, I just don't know what it is, ya know what I mean?" said Fax who was speaking to her best friend Peach. The two of them had been in fax's bedroom talking about how things had changed so much since everyone left. Rosalina and Bowser, who had went off to college were getting married soon. Crystal and Pauline went off to pursue their dreams of singing and cooking.

The only ones left in the house were Fax, Peach, and peach's little brother Rick. "I know what ya mean, schools finally out though we should be having the time of our lives right now!" Peach replied to Fax's question-statement.

Somewhere in a chilly dark cave… "The ruler of this dark shadow-like place has requested that we begin our quest to search for the princess that will ultimately seal our fates", said queen Analicia to her servants. Suddenly one person came forward, took a huge bow and said "My queen, I shall find this pitiful weakling; no one will stand in the way of our great ruler!" The person who spoke out so boldly was none other than Allister, tall and built, long, spiked hair as red as a rose, but eyes as dark blue as the ground on which he walked. "Allister, I am pleased that you have the guts to stand before me and make such a huge statement, I hope the best for your mission, do not fail!" , exclaimed the queen.

With yet another huge bow Allister transformed into a black smoke and evaporated into the air. Now the princess that was being searched for had a great task, she was supposed to come to the Mushroom Kingdom to seal away a powerful crystal called the Dark Crystal. This crystal had massive power, power that never should have been left with mere mortals or even the purest of heart. This crystal is the one thing that Queen Analicia really wanted; for it would have the power to free the mysterious being she called her ruler, Mauricia.

Mauricia was one of the four chosen to protect a land known as the Sacred Forest, this land held a powerful force of light. No one could enter this sacred place because the light would drive out the imperfect forces that could possibly upset the balance of the realm, which would lead to total chaos. Only one person was able to enter this sacred place, The Creator of light. When the four chosen were sent to protect this realm of peace and happiness the one, Mauricia was so caught up in the power that she sought out to have it. Seeing the definite risk, The Creator sealed her away in a dark and lonely place for eternity. There is a prophecy that one day Mauricia will try to free herself, now to begin…

Back in the hangout…"Well we can't be for certain but if you are sure you know what you're doing then I will go ahead and tell her everything."Whispered Peach to a mysterious voice coming out of her watch. As she shut her watch she walked up the stairs to the kitchen to talk to Fax who was in there fixing something to eat. "Fax, can you come downstairs for a few minutes please, we need to talk." asked Peach as nice as she could. "Sure I guess I can.", Fax replied as she put down the spatula she was using and followed her friend.

The both of them went into a tiny closet that looked like no one had used it in a long time. "Peach, why are we in here, what are we doing?" asked Fax with a strange look on her face. The only thing Peach could do was give Fax a quiet silencing gesture as the small space Fax thought was just a closet began to move like an elevator. Suddenly, the elevator stopped and the two of them stepped out into a computer lab. "What the…." Fax began to speak as Peach silenced her. The two were greeted by Peach's little brother Rick and a women. "Welcome back Peach, and welcome to you too Fax, we've been expecting you." spoke the women.

Fax looked confused but oddly did not say a word. "Come with me and all will be explained." said the women with a short giggle as she gestured the three of them to follow her into a meeting room. After an hour or two they came out. "So you're saying then that this princess is in danger of being attacked and we have to protect her, with these powers that you say we posses?" Fax asked the women, who revealed herself to be the commander of the lab. "Yes, once you escort her back here she can fulfill the purpose which I explained earlier." replied the commander. "You said you felt like you had a greater purpose didn't you, ha-ha." spoke out Peach as she turned and looked at her completely shocked yet strangely confused friend.

The commander pulled out a watch and handed it to Fax, it looked exactly like Peach's. "Here this is what you will use to transform into your battle suit." said the commander. "Battle suit?" replied Fax. The commander shook her head and proceeded to say, "One more thing, I ask that you allow two people to be housed in the place you three live. The prophecy states that there will be five members of your squad who will take down Mauricia, a squad of the stars, you and Peach are members and also…""Me.", said a man who cut off the commander as he walked closer. Now he appeared with a little boy, they both were wolves who had come and became part of the "Star Squad" a long time ago, but they had no place to stay. "Now this is Titan and his little brother Qase, Qase stays here with Rick and helps keep an eye on things, but Titan is your third member. Now do you mind if they stay with you?" asked the commander. "No, not at all, they can stay." replied Fax as all five of them left the commander to go back of the house. But Fax had no idea that she was about to embark on the most dangerous mission of her life…

The next day, Fax and Peach went out to grocery shop and prepare for when the princess arrived, while Titan was training outside in the woods. After Titan had finished he went inside the house to his room to change in to his casual wear when he saw a shadowed figure standing in the doorway leading to his room.

"Hello, old friend!" said the figure as he walked in closer revealing himself to be none other than, Allister. "What do you want allister, I'm busy." said Titan as he stood turned the opposite direction with an angry look on his face. "Oh me, I just thought I'd drop by and say hello." Allister replied with a grin on his face as he walked around the room looking at Titan's belongings. "I've known you long enough to know that isn't the truth, and by the way, I'm not your friend anymore and never will be again!" Titan shouted as his facial expressions began to look angrier. "Wow, it's still easy to get you riled up I see, but the real reason I'm here is because I wanted to share with you that, I am going to get the princess and that dark crystal…today, so just go ahead and give up." ,Allister said with a look of confidence. "That's not go…." Titan suddenly stopped as he turned around and saw that Allister had disappeared.

As the girls walked in the house with the groceries, Titan ran up the stairs to greet them, or so they thought. "Girls we have to go get the princess now!" Titan exclaimed as he was gasping for breath. "Why, we still have to put the groceries away, and I thought we agreed that we would do that at night time to be more discreet." replied Fax. "We can't wait, I don't know how, but a guy that I used to know came to my room and told me that he was going to get both the princess and the dark crystal today, we have to go!" ,Titan tried his hardest to explain but even he was having a hard time understanding what happened. Finally the girls put down the groceries and called Rick and Qase to come put them away. "Ok then, let's get into our battle suits!" said Fax. All three of them gave out a loud shout as they activated their wrist watches. "Star acceleration!" The transformation was quick and they flew off out of the house towards the desert.

The princess was from a kingdom called Arubbia which was the largest kingdom of the desert lands. And when the star squad arrived, the princess was waiting with some guards outside the castle gates. As they began to bow, the princess stopped them. "Do not bow to me, it only annoys Me.", said the princess as the star squad had strange looks on their faces. "Your majesty, we did not expect you to be out here waiting so soon, forgives us if we were late." said Peach. "You were not late…I have the power to look into the future, and as such knew that you were on your way." replied the princess with an emotionless look on her face. "Then with all due respect, your highness, let us depart." said Fax. "Yes, leave me my servants." the princess spoke as she motioned the guards to go back inside the castle. As the star squad began to prepare for departure the princess began to clear her throat and gave a look as if she was expecting something. "Yes your majesty." Fax answered. "Who will carry me?" the princess said as she waited for someone to step up. Both Fax and Peach stared at Titan with a look. "Oh brother." whispered Titan as he picked up the princess and the four of them flew off.

As they flew off Titan noticed a change in the air. He looked around and suddenly he saw Allister standing right beside him with a grin on his face. It was as if time had stopped, Allister was so close he could take the princess and be off, but instead he began to chuckle and disappeared, leaving Titan with a fear that he had not felt in a long time.

Meanwhile in the dark cave…Queen Analicia began to walk into a pitch black room. "My great ruler, I a humble servant am here to ask for your advice, I command you, come forth!" ,she exclaimed as a smoke began to appear forming a ominous living being, revealed to be Mauricia. "I've been expecting you, Analicia, your quest is proceeding well, but you still have a long road ahead, now what do you seek?" Mauricia asked. "I am wondering if the princess is the one we need, or is it possible to succeed without her.", Analicia replied. "No! It cannot be done without the girl, cast those thoughts out of your mind now!" exclaimed Mauricia. "Yes my queen, how foolish of me.", Analicia replied as she excused herself.

After Analicia had returned to her throne room, Mimi appeared. Mimi was a very conceited girl; she was always concerned about her alone. "Yes, Mimi, what can I do for you?" asked Analicia. "Well my queen, you see it's been bothering me that….why did you send Allister to take care of retrieving the princess and that crystal, I mean can he really be trusted?" ,asked Mimi nervously. "You mean to say why did I send him instead of you, hmm, you question me!" replied Analicia with a smirk on her face. "Sorry my queen, forgive me.", Mimi replied as she bowed and left the room.

After the Star Squad arrived back at the house Titan let the princess down on the ground and she began to look around. "What a dump." she whispered to herself even though everyone heard it. Peach began to clench her fist and Fax held her back. After clearing her throat Fax said, "It's not much but it's the best a couple of teenagers can do, it looked better back when there were more people living here that could take care of it." "I'm sure." said the princess as she walked toward the door.

Peach was riled up then, but Fax continued to try and calm her down. "Relax Peach, she's only gonna be here until tomorrow night when she performs the sealing ceremony for the dark crystal." said Fax in a soft tone. "Just one lick to her face and she might straighten up!" said Peach with her fist still tight. "Chill out I said!" Fax said while Titan was watching them laughing in amusement. Later on that day…Fax was showing the princess around hoping that something would make her change her mood, though nothing seemed to please her. While they we looking around Titan and Peach watched from the sidelines. "And this is a portrait of Rosalina's mother, Queen Amarissa.", said Fax as she presented the painting. "Really, how interesting, I mean if we were in a recycling factory, but we're not…though judging by the way this place looks inside and out, your already three-fourths of the way there."

"Oh no she didn't!" Peach said. "She's done it now!" Titan piped up. Fax began to turn red as the princess looked at her with somewhat a change in facial expression for a change. "That's it! I have had it! You may be a princess but this isn't your kingdom! How dare you say such things about the late Queen Amarissa! How dare you say things about this house! Honestly I don't know who would want to protect you, you ungrateful brat! We are doing everything we can to help and keep you safe and all you can do is talk trash, well fine after the ceremony is complete tomorrow I don't care what happens to you!" ,Fax burst out in anger. The princess had a look on her face as if she didn't know what to think, then suddenly she began to tear up. Fax rushed out of the room as Peach followed her.

"Don't take everything Fax said to heart she's just very angry, though she had good reason to be. You shouldn't be so demanding and judging." Titan spoke gently. The princess didn't say a word as she tried to wipe her tears away quickly and keep composure. "Follow me, I'll show you to your room." Titan continued as he guided her downstairs to the guest room.

Meanwhile in a dark room appeared Allister standing over a circular piece of glass which appeared to show whatever the person using it wanted to see. So as Allister was watching Titan show the princess to her room, he began to formulate a plan. "So let's see…I need to get the princess and the dark crystal, but how can I do both quickly." he thought. "Ahh yes! If I wait until tomorrow night when the princess goes to perform the ceremony, I can snatch her and the crystal at the same time!" He began to get excited as Mimi appeared. "Well, well, well, it looks like everything is workin out for you isn't It.", she said as she walked closer. "What do you want Mimi?" asked Allister. "I want to know why you were chosen to take on such a big mission, it's not fair!" she said as Allister began to smirk. "I don't know, maybe it's because I don't think only of myself, beware of such conceit, it will be your downfall." Allister shot at Mimi. "Ha! Me conceited, yeah right. I just don't understand why Queen Analicia would choose you instead of me; I am more than capable of pulling a mission like this off!" Mimi shouted. "Hmm, maybe cause, I dunno…you're weak." Allister said as he left the room. "Weak! Weak! Unggghhhh!" Mimi shouted as she left as well.

To explain, the ceremony that the princess had to perform would be performed in the Star Temple just outside the Castle Town gates. The princess is to take up the dark crystal which is now hidden in the temple and open the door to the Sacred Forest. Once the doors were open, the princess would enter and use her powers of light to destroy the crystal. Once the crystal was broken, the princess would close the doors to the Sacred Forest before the energy given off by the crystal had a chance to escape. Finally once the doors were closed, the light would engulf the power of the dark crystal, vanquishing it forever…

Fax walked down the stairs to go to her room as she heard crying coming from the guest room. She slowly opened the door to see the princess sitting on the bed curled up crying. "If you've come to yell at me some more, then just go away!"The princess shouted. "No, I…I've come to apologize for the way I treated you." said Fax as she walked over and sat down on the bed. "I realize that you have a lot of pressure on you right now, with the fact that you had to leave the comfort of your own home and perform a large task that could save the world." , Fax said as she looked at the floor. "I didn't choose any of this…It's not fair that I have such big responsibilities, I mean my parents were killed, my brother taken into captivity, everything I loved was taken away because so many people want me to suffer." ,said the princess as she began to cry harder. Fax turned around and grabbed onto her hugging her. "I know, and I will do everything I can to help you. I promise!" said Fax as she began to cry.

The sun set and the moon rose, it was now midnight and Fax, Peach, and Titan, gathered at the temple along with the princess. The princess walked up to the center of the room and holding the dark crystal in hand began to activate the doors to the sacred place. The room filled with light, the markings on the floor, walls and even the doors themselves began to glow. The ground began to shake and the doors opened. The light was too bright for anyone to see. While the squad was squinting their eyes, trying to see, the princess turned around and spoke with a vibrant voice. "I will now go inside these doors and deposit this vessel of sin and return closing these doors for eternity!" She turned around and went in the doors as the light began to slowly dim in the room, leaving only a glowing doorway in sight.

As the star squad stood waiting for the princess to return, Titan spotted a shadow standing next to the door. "Hello, friends!" said Allister as he appeared in front of the door. The squad was stunned that he was able to enter this place. "I'll see you guys later!" Allister said as he jumped through the doorway to find the princess. "No we have to help!" said Fax as her and the others ran for the door. But they were stopped when a giant force field blocked the door.

Inside the sacred place…The princess knew she was being followed so she ran as fast as she could, hoping to gain enough ground that she would have time to destroy the crystal. "Not so fast!" ,Allister hollered as he appeared right in front of the princess. She began to catch herself and turn around, but it was too late, Allister had already caught hold of her arm. She began to scream and squirm, hoping to get free, but it was no use. "Just stop it! You have no hope of beating Me.", Allister said with an overconfident grin. "My only hope is to shatter the crystal and spread it out amongst the different regions of the world so evil won't find it. But it will take a lot of power." the princess thought as she continued to struggle. "Have it your way!" the princess said with a smirk as Allister looked puzzled. The princess threw the crystal on the ground, shattering it into eight pieces, and with her last strength, fused herself into all five pieces. As Allister bent down to pick the scattered pieces up, all five pieces flew up and out of the sacred place. They flew past the star squad who were watching, and they disappeared.

With a bright shining light, Allister came flying out through the doors and landed harshly on the ground as the doors to the sacred place shut. The squad turned to him with an angry look, about to strike at him, when a figure appeared in front of all of them. The figure turned out to be the princess. "My friends, I am sure you are wondering what has happened." She spoke in a loud echoing voice. "Umm, yeah we kinda were." said Peach. The others looked at her with a look as if she had said something stupid. "As you know I was not successful in destroying the crystal, but I did manage to keep it out of the enemies reach, for now, I have sealed myself inside of it and shattered it into eight pieces." "These eight pieces have been scattered out across the world, and it is up to you to find them before the evil forces do.", said the princess. "Evil forces like this!" said Peach as she looked at Allister, who in turn was looking at the ground. "Yes, now I will leave you, you can do this." the princess said as she disappeared. Fax looked at Allister as she began to feel a strange power. "Come on Fax, let's leave him here." said Titan as him and Peach walked outside the temple. Fax followed for a moment but stopped for she had heard a voice. She went and hid behind a doorway as Titan and Peach followed her.

A diabolical laugh filled the room as Mimi appeared in front of Allister. "Woow. You messed up big time Allister!" said Mimi who was continuing to chuckle. "Shut up! I don't need this right now!" said Allister with a sort of angry expression on his face. "Well I didn't really come to chat. I merely came to tell you that the queen said not to even bother showing back up.", Mimi said as Allister looked up at her with a shocked expression. "Now I wonder…what would make the queen so angry that she would turn her back on you. Could it be because you failed to secure the dark crystal, or is it that you did not capture the princess. Oh! You don't suppose it's because you allowed the princess to make things harder than they already were, frankly Allister, I'm surprised you've lasted this long!" rambled Mimi with as much sarcasm as she could conjure up. Allister became extremely angry. "How dare you!" shouted Allister with a clenched fist. "Well I guess it's my time to shine now, goodbye Allister I'll make sure to tell everyone about your…incompetence!" ,Mimi said as she disappeared with a big round of laughs.

Fax began to walk back in the room. "Fax what are you doing!" said Peach. "Be quiet, I know what I'm doing." Fax replied as she walked in the room toward Allister. "What do you want?" asked Allister, knowing that Fax was standing right behind him. "I want to give you another chance." Fax said as she pulled out her star scepter. "Why, I sure don't deserve it!" replied Allister as he turned and looked at Fax. "If it was about deserving it, I wouldn't be standing here right now. As I said before, do you want this second chance?" Fax asked. Allister turned around with tears in his eyes as he shook his head yes. A brightly glowing four pointed star appeared on his forehead, and Fax knew then that they had found their fourth member. "Then I will help you!" Fax shouted, as Peach and Titan watched, Fax raised her scepter in theair and shouted, "Star Healing Acceleration!" Light filled the room and then dispersed, as Allister stood up and looked Fax in the eyes. "Thanks!" said Allister as Fax hugged him. "Don't thank me.", replied Fax as the growing star squad walked out of the temple and headed on their way home, knowing that they had an even bigger mission to accomplish….


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 ~The First Of Many~

"I am disappointed to say that…Allister is no longer with us." ,Mimi said with a grin as she stood in front of Analicia. "Well let's hope you don't make the same mistakes!" ,the queen replied. "I won't, but I must ask, how will I be able to find the pieces of the dark crystal?" ,Mimi asked. The queen raised her hand to reveal a small ring, levitating it to where Mimi was standing. "With this, this ring will allow you to find the pieces." "Excellent, I shall begin now!" ,exclaimed Mimi as she pointed the ring at a wall, the ring then revealed the image of a man, but it was no ordinary man, it was Fax's father, Richard Reynolds…

Back at the house…..The girls were having a spa day, while the boys were gone to the gym to work out. "So do you think we should ask Rick and Qase if they wanna go to the movies with us and the boys?" ,asked Fax while she began to paint her toe nails. "Most definitely not, I don't think I can handle anymore of my brother today or Titan's for that matter!" ,replied Peach. "Ok, just askin, sheesh." ,said Fax as she began to dip one of the cucumbers they had laid out in some ranch dip.

At the gym…..Titan and Allister had been working hard, so they began to pack up to head home. "Hey Titan, do you think we should invite Rick and Qase with us to the movies?" ,asked Allister as he packed up his gym bag. "Umm, no thanks! I've had enough of my bro, and Peach's too." ,said Titan as fast as he could. "Wooooow, are they really that bad?" ,asked Allister. "You have no idea, just give it a few days, then you'll understand." ,said Titan with a grin.

At the Reynold home, Mr. Richard was working in the garden that his wife had started long ago. His wife had passed on the summer before and his kids were gone, so he enjoyed spending his time off working in it. All of a sudden a figure of a young women with pig tails and a sleeveless topped miniskirt appeared. "Hello, sir, I was wondering if you could help me with something." ,said the girl as Mr. Reynolds turned around to greet her. "Yes little girl, what can I do for you." ,asked the kind Mr. Reynolds. "Oh it's not much, just surrender the piece of the dark crystal you have and we'll call it a day!" ,said Mimi as she walked closer. Mr. Reynolds wasn't a fool, he being a very intelligent wizard knew what he was up against and knew what he needed to do. So the day before, when he found the dark crystal piece, he used his powers to conceal it inside his heart, knowing this day would come. "You'll have to fight me for it!" ,said the wise Mr. Reynolds as he drug out his wand. "Oh my, I'm terrified! You have a magic stick! Hahaha!" ,chuckled Mimi. "You don't want to mess with me!" ,said Mr. Reynolds as he shot a curse at her. With one flick of a wrist Mimi blocked the attack; she was so excited to be doing this. She revealed her ring and in an instant, the Mr. Reynolds was stunned, screaming in pain Mr. Reynolds grew weaker, and finally the piece of the dark crystal was revealed.

Mimi snatched the piece and was about to leave just when the defenders of the stars arrived! "Stop right there! How dare you attack an innocent man who was just working in his garden. As the defenders of the stars, the Star Squad won't let you get away with it!" ,said Fax who was ready to fight along side her comrades Peach, Titan, and Allister. "Cut to the chase I got a lot of work to do so let's get to it! Come forth, Black Mage!" ,shouted Mimi as Mr. Reynolds transformed into the exact creature she had called forth. A dark, cloaked, wizard who was ready to engage in combat. "Easy goin guys, that's my dad!" ,said Fax to the others as they began to fight. "Well I'd love to stick around but can't bye now!" ,said Mimi as she vanished with the crystal piece. "Star striker blades!" ,Titan called out as two large sabers formed in his hands. At the same time the mage formed a large saber in his hands. "Hold him long enough for Fax!" ,hollered Peach as Titan held down the mage with his sword. "Ok…now Fax!" ,strained Titan. Fax raised her scepter and pointed it at the mage. "Star Healing Acceleration!" ,Fax hollered as a beam of light shot out at the mage transforming him back into Mr. Reynolds, who collapsed on the ground. "Dad, are you ok!" ,asked Fax as she rushed over and tried to hold her dad up. "Fax…you…you must be careful…these dark beings…are stronger than they appear!" ,said Mr. Reynolds as he closed his eyes and took his final breadth saying "I love you." Fax began to cry as the rest of the team watched with sad expressions. It began to rain, so Allister and Titan helped carry Mr. Reynolds inside his now vacant home….

A few days later, after everything had happened and somewhat settled down, the gang got back to their normal routines. Peach was working on her hair, Fax would stop by her dad's old place to work on getting it ready to sell, and the boys…were the boys. Fax walked into her dad's living room and stood there for a moment, finally just collapsing on the floor in tears.

"Mimi, I am pleased with the fact that you have secured a piece of the dark crystal, but you still have four more to go!" ,said Analicia as she sat on her throne watching her crystal ball. "Yes, I know, I won't disappoint you, I swear it!" ,Mimi said as she took a bow and vanished into thin air. Mimi appeared back in a small room to formulate a plan and find the next target. "Nicely done, you managed to take care of Allister and get a crystal piece, basically in one swoop." ,said a voice that walked in and appeared to be yet another follower of Analicia, Angelica. "But I've gotta say, you look like you need a little help, you can't possibly find and capture seven more crystal pieces all by yourself can you?" ,said Angelica as she grinned. "Of course I can! Besides, why would I ask for your help?" ,shouted Mimi in anger of Angelica's disbelief. "Oh, nevermind, just forget it." ,Angelica said as she disappeared. "The nerve! Raizen I call you!" ,Mimi shouted as a shadow creature under her control came forth. "You called Ma'am?" ,said Raizen the armored knight of destruction. "Yes, I did and I think I've found our next target!" ,said Mimi as she pulled out her ring. "Oh, do tell!" ,said Raizen who was so excited to be a part of this mission….

"Oh my gosh!" ,Fax yelled as she ran up the stairs and into the kitchen where Titan, Allister, Peach, Rick and Qase were sitting. "What is it, did someone die!" ,said Peach as she flew out of her chair. "No, I've got amazing, fantastic, super news!" ,screamed Fax. "Great! Could you tell us in a calm, quiet voice please?" ,asked Allister as he began to sip his coffee. "I have…six tickets to the Mega Mars concert!" ,said Fax. "Great! When is it?" ,asked Titan as he began to eat his sandwich. "Tonight." ,Fax said as quietly as she could, looking down at the floor. "Tonight!" ,screamed everyone in the room. Allister, Titan, Peach, Rick and Qase rushed around trying to clean up and get ready for this major event taking place tonight, as Fax watched them rush around she grew more and more excited.

At the convention center, the band Mega Mars was rehearsing their songs. "Ok, that's a rap, take five!" ,said lead vocalist Rachel Bruno. "Ok, I think I'm gonna go out back and get my extra equipment." ,said drummer David Howard. David walked back behind the stage and out the door, heading for the bands RV, when two figures showed up. "Oh my gosh!" ,screamed a little girl as she ran from her mothers side to meet the drummer of her favorite band. "Whoa, kid, how'd you get back here?" ,said David. "We just saw an open area and thought that anyone could come through here, sorry to intrude." ,said the little girls mother. Having a soft heart, David had the girl come closer and handed her a autographed photo. "Oh my! Thank you for the photo, I love it!" ,said the little girl. "Anytime!" ,said David, "But there is one more thing I need to see." ,said the little girl. "Oh yeah, what's that?" ,asked David with an odd look on his face. "I need to see inside your heart!" ,exclaimed the girl as she ripped off her disguise to reveal her true form, Mimi. "Come out please Raizen!" ,Mimi demanded as he ripped off his disguise as the mother. "You called, and I answered!" ,Raizen said as he bowed. "Mmmmm, charming, but let's get to it!" ,said Mimi as she cornered David and activated her ring. Raizen was supposed to keep watch in case the Star Squad showed up.

The drummer wailed out in agonizing pain as the piece of the dark crystal that was lost was split from his body. Mimi grabbed onto it as quickly as possible, watching to make sure no one was around. When all of a sudden a mysterious shadow appeared behind the three of them. "It's not nice to play with others that can't play the game." ,said the mysterious person. "Who are you and what do you want?" ,Mimi hollered as she turned to face the mysterious person. "To the first question, that's not important; to the second, I want what you have in your hand." ,said the mysterious person who walked closer. Although he walked closer, Mimi still could not tell who it was. The persons outline became clearer though, the person appeared to be a muscular male, with Mohawk and horns on his head, he had a strikingly similar appearance to Bowser, but it wasn't him.

The man raised his hand as the piece of the dark crystal floated from Mimi's hands to his. "How dare you, who do you think you are. Raizen attack!" ,shouted Mimi as Raizen leaped into the air charging after the mysterious man. With one snap of his fingers, a powerful blast of energy shot out from the man and hit Raizen, causing him to be completely obliterated. "Nice!" ,said the man.

"Looks like that's my cue!" ,Mimi said and she disappeared leaving David who had transformed into this horribly ugly beast. "Well that wasn't nice, she doesn't care to play, but she won't clean up!" ,the man said as he blasted David with a powerful beam of energy, causing him to transform back. The mysterious man walked away and David woke up confused as he went and got the rest of his equipment.

"Analicia, I am not pleased! An intruder has captured a piece of the dark crystal! I cannot be freed until all five pieces are with me!" ,said Mauricia in a low whisper. "I know, I will talk with Mimi, and we will find it, I swear!" ,said Analicia as she began to sweat under all the stress. "You had better, I am beginning to lose my patience, the time is close at hand, you must act quickly before it's too late!" ,shouted Mauricia.

That night, after the concert, the group headed home. Everyone was worn out from all the screaming and dancing, so the ride home was very quiet. After they had gotten home everyone parted ways. Peach and Fax went to their bedroom, Titan and Allister to theirs, and the same for Rick and Qase. "Mother, when I wake up, will you be here?" "Of course, my sweet child, I'll be in your heart." "But, I don't want you to leave!" "My dear, as long as you remember me, I'm never to far away." "Oh mama! I love you!" "I love you to sweetheart, now close your eyes…" Rosalina, one of Fax and Peach's friends, woke up during the night, in her dorm at Mushroom University. She uncovered herself and sat up against the headboard of her bed, rocking herself as she cried.

On the other side of the campus, in the guys dormitories, Bowser also awoke from his sleep. He began to wonder why he woke up so late when he felt a feeling as if Rosalina was hurt. Bowser jumped out of bed and got dressed. Rosalina did the same thing, and both of them headed for a spot behind the campus that they always met at. Bowser met Rosalina their, who was sitting on a bench with tears rolling down her face. "I thought you'd be here." ,said Bowser as he sat down. Rosalina immediately latched on to his arm and layed her head on his shoulder. "Bowser, maybe it's a bad idea to….have a wedding right now." ,she said as she began to cry more in fear that she would hurt him. Bowser looked at her as if she had asked him to kill her. Thankfully she didn't notice his expression as she was looking down, so he quickly looked back up and began to think. He didn't really understand why, but he just wanted her to be happy. "If that's what you think is best than we can wait." ,he said in a soft voice. Rosalina stood up and wouldn't look back at him as she wiped some tears away. "I think it is best, but I don't want our relationship to end, I only want to wait a little longer." ,she said while she tried to choke back more tears. Bowser laid down on the bench and soon after, Rosalina placed herself on top of him, laying her head on his chest. "I don't want to lose you!" ,she said as she began to cry more. Bowser began to tear up as he lifted her head up to look at him. "You'll never lose me, I'll always be here." ,he said as they both leaned in and began to kiss…

"How sweet! Well I guess it's about that time to take matters into my own hands." ,said the mysterious man from before, who was apparently watching them the whole time. He began to smirk and chuckle. "I'll leave them alone for a bit longer, I guess." ,he said as he began to laugh louder and disappear.

"Mimi, you do realize there are still three pieces left to find? There's no time to waste, hurry!" ,said Analicia in a rushed tone. "Yes, my queen, I have already found the next target and intend to take care of it right now!" ,Mimi said as she bowed. "You'd better, cuz if you fail, it'll be the end of you!" ,said Analicia as Mimi departed.

"So, do you think it will be alright if I sign up?" ,asked Peach, who was sitting on the couch talking to Fax. "Of course, trust me, we'll have lots of fun at camp, you'll see, and it will give us a chance to be away from the boys!" ,said Fax as she began to giggle. Fax felt her phone vibrating inside of her pocket, and picked it up to look and find a message. She looked and saw that the message had nothing on it, and she looked and saw that the sender was her sister, Callista. She looked extremely shocked, because her sister had died a few years back, after the war between Rosalina and the Shadow Queen. "Fax, what's wrong?" ,asked Peach as she came closer and looked at her phone. Fax quickly put it away and tried to conceal her face. "It...it's nothing. I have to go...take a shower." ,she said as she got up and headed to the bathroom. Peach sat their watching her walk away. Fax had gotten into the shower and began running some water, she let the water run down her body as she began to tear up. She laid her head against a wall of the shower and began to cry hard.

Titan and Allister had went to the store to pick up some groceries for the house, and Rick and Qase were at the lab working on some new equipment for the squad. Peach went to start dinner, since it was her turn to make it. After Fax had gotten out and dried off, she went to get dressed, when she arrived at her room she had company. "Hello sister." ,said Callista from across the room sitting in a chair. Fax collapsed on the floor in shock. "I thought you were dead?" ,Fax asked as she began to tear up again. "I am, but I just had to see you, I feel like things ended on such a sour note between us, with the whole fact that we weren't together for ten years and then suddenly we're together again, and then I get killed." ,Callista began to tear up. Fax stood up and went over to her sister. "You did it to protect me, and i'm thankful that you would do that, even after all we had been through." ,Fax said to comfort her sister. "I know, it's just, I hate it, here we were ten years ago, two beautiful girls with no one left, after mom's death, dad's death and then our brother's death. And I left you to find work and ended up leaving you by yourself to work for the Shadow Queen..." ,Callista said as she cried harder. "Just stop! You, didn't have a choice! You were held against your will!" ,Fax shouted. "You know if you hadn't obeyed him, you would have been killed! And as far as the Shadow Queen thing, it was a lesson learned, she's gone now!" "I know but so am I!" ,said Callista as both of them sat down on the bed holding on to each other, crying.

"Hahaha! How pathetic, look how pitiful he looks!" ,Mimi said to her comrade Despero, as they both looked from a distance at Mario, who was at his home laying on the couch eating pasta. "Are you sure he's the next target?" ,said Despero as he looked at Mimi in disbelief. "Yes, Despero, i'm sure, and soon he'll be mine!" ,she said as both of them disappeared.

"Get away from me!" ,said a woman who was running from a man who had been following her. The woman ran as fast as she could, throwing objects into the pursuiters way. The person who had been following her was none other than the mysterious man who had retrieved a piece of the dark crystal, and had been watching Bowser and Rosalina. The woman ran to an ally way, where she was trapped, she had no idea what to do, since she was stuck and the guy was right behind her. "Now i've got you!" ,he said as he held out the piece of the dark crystal. He threw it up into the air and shouted a spell, which transformed the piece into a dark and shiny skinned women, that looked like a sculpture made out of black glass. "Ok, listen and listen well, I have a few questions, I know you go to the same college as my brother, so your gonna answer these questions or your gonna die, you choose." ,said the man as the monster he had created transformed her right arm into a blade and held it up to the woman's throat. "Wh...what's your brothers name?" ,said the women as sweat began to drip down her face. "His name is Bowser, Bowser Koopa." ,said the man as he began to grin. The women had a face of shock for she knew him and was afraid to say a thing. The last thing that was heard from that alley was a huge scream…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3~Dark Alliance~

"The moment is almost at hand! Soon we will be able to free you!" ,said Analicia as she conversed with Mauricia. "Yes, and I will go, and spread my beautiful darkness on the people of this world!" ,said Mauricia as her and Analicia began to laugh.

"Mother….don't go, I need you!" "My darling, be strong! They need you!" "But what if I don't succeed?" "You will, this is your moment! You can do this!" "Thanks mother, I'll miss you!" "I'll miss you too, my Rosalina!"

Rosalina woke up in a very uncomfortable sweat, she then decided that it was time to leave the college, perhaps for good. Being the princess, she could always hire tutors or something, so it was no big deal, but because she cared to much about Bowser, she decided to leave without telling him. She packed her bags, called to make a reservation at the airport, and left a letter for Bowser with her roommate. As she left the campus, she began to tear up, knowing that she had probably caused things between her and Bowser to be worse, but she knew in her heart she had to return to her kingdom!

That morning, Fax received a phone call, from Rosalina. "Hello…" ,mumbled Fax as she was trying to get awake. "Hey! It's me, Rosalina." ,said her friend who sounded sad and worn down. Fax fell out of bed from shock that her best friend had called her up like this. "I'm coming home." ,Rosalina said. "Why! What happened at school?" ,asked Fax as she began to worry. "Nothing, I just have this feeling that I need to come home, like something is about to happen!" ,said Rosalina. "I see, well something has happened, but we'll talk about it when you get here." ,Fax said as she let out a big yawn. "Ok, I'm about three hours away, see you then." ,said Rosalina as she hung up, and Fax went back to sleep.

"Bowser, it's time!" ,said a mysterious voice. Bowser heard it, but was to busy getting ready for class to think on it. "Bowser" ,said the voice again, this time Bowser stopped. He looked behind him and saw his brother, Hollister, who was grinning the whole time. "Hello, brother, it's been quite some time." ,he said as Bowser looked at him with somewhat of a relieving look, and a look of suspicion. Back in the battle against the Shadow Queen, Bowser tried to save Hollister, but just as he began to come around, he was killed. "How did you get back?" ,Bowser mumbled under his breadth. Hollister turned slightly to the side, looking out the window. "That's…not important, but what is important is that we can be brothers again!" ,he said to Bowser. "If it wasn't clear before, I am not doing work for evil anymore!" ,said Bowser as he began to snarl at his brother. "Well, if you change your mind, come talk to me!" ,said Hollister as he looked down in his hand at the piece of the dark crystal he had taken before. "You should know though, that Rosalina doesn't care about you anymore!" ,he said with a smirk. "What do you mean?" ,Bowser said as he turned around to face Hollister, but in an instant, Hollister was gone. Bowser felt really uncomfortable but tried to shake it off when suddenly a knock came to his door. He cringed as he went to slowly open it. It turned out to be Rosalina's old roommate, Katrina. "Hey, um, Bowser, Rosalina told me to give this to you…" ,she said as she looked away and handed him the letter. Bowser smiled, because he figured it was part of one of Rosalina's games, where she would give him clues to come and find her. He took it and opened it as Katrina left. "Dear, Bowser, I know we have hit sort of a bump in the road recently. But I want you to know that what I have to say has nothing to do with that. I have decided to leave school to go back to the castle. I, feel like there is something that is about to happen, like I'm apart of it, it's hard to explain, but hopefully soon we can meet again, and continue our wedding plans. I love you so much! Love, Rosalina!" Bowser began to tear up, as he thought to himself. "Hollister was right…she doesn't care about me, she was just to polite to say that she didn't want me anymore, I mean, why else would she leave without telling me?" He crumpled up the paper and through it in the trash can on his way out to go to class.

"Talk, I said talk!" ,shouted Mimi at Despero. "When I got there and searched inside the man's body, it wasn't there, did you go get it first!" ,continued Mimi, not letting him get a word in. "I swear, I had nothing to do with it!" ,Despero said with a nervous expression on her face. Mimi got out of his face and stormed off down the hallway in anxiety. Despero turned around with a smirk on his face, looking in his pocket at the piece of the dark crystal he was hiding. "Well, that ought to do it, now Mimi is history!" ,he said as he began to quietly chuckle.

Down deep in the corridors, Mimi sat in her room, trying to think up an excuse to tell Analicia. "Nothing working out for you?" ,asked Angelica, who had decided to barge in unexpectedly. "Go away! I'm thinking!" ,said Mimi as she turned away from her. "Well times up, the queen wants a word with you!" ,Angelica said as she left the room. Mimi began to sweat as she got up and headed for the throne room.

"Oh no!" ,screamed Peach as she ran out of her room. Everyone came down to her door scared that something had happened. "What's wrong Peach?" ,Fax asked as she tried to calm her friend down. "My pink shirt, you know, the one with the sparkly lettering that says princess on it, it's missing!" ,shouted Peach, Allister and Titan looked at each other and at Rick and Qase, and all four of them went back up stairs to do what they were doing. "Come on drama queen, it's probably under some of my stuff, let's check!" ,said Fax as she walked Peach back into their room to look.

"Prince Bowser, please do not leave me, I need you!" ,cried Princess Rosalina. Prince Bowser looked up at her. "I will never leave you, as long as I'm in your heart!" ,said Prince Bowser as he let go of the princess's hand and left to fight in the war. Rosalina woke up from her nap, as she heard the flight attendant announce that they would be landing soon. Rosalina looked out the window, looking down on her kingdom, as she began to worry if she made the right decision.

"Mimi, I have to say, all you have done is disappoint me!" ,said Analicia in anger. "I know, my queen, I am very sorry, but I have a plan to take care of the idiot squad." ,said Mimi as she began to bow in fear. "Really, what makes you think I should give you another chance?" ,the queen asked. "Uh…because…I know I can do it!" ,mumbled Mimi. "You couldn't do it any other times, so how do you plan to do it this time?" ,argued Analicia. "I plan to…well, I plan to…" ,Mimi was stopped by the queen. "This is it, you've failed me miserably for the last time!" ,said Analicia as she held up her hand. In one movement, she sent a blast of energy that destroyed Mimi. "Now come forth my new commander, Despero!" "I won't disappoint you my queen!" ,he said as he began to smile, looking down at Mimi's

corpse.

Peach ran down the steps to the front door after hearing the door bell, in the hopes it was Rosalina, she opened the door quickly with a big smile. "Hi, Rosa….." ,Peach paused and her smile disappeared as she noticed it was the pizza delivery guy standing there. Allister and Titan suddenly arrived out of nowhere, grabbed the pizza, and gave the guy some money. Peach then quickly shut the door in the guys face as she gave out a big sigh. "She's not coming to the door." ,Fax said as she walked into the room. Peach and the boys turned around and looked at her. "What do you mean, why isn't she?" ,Peach asked with a lot of confusion. "Because she's already here." ,Fax said as Peach grinned really big. "But you can't see her right now, she's resting in her room." ,Fax said in a tone as if the statement was final. Peach's grin disappeared once again as her and the boys went down the other set of stairs to the basement floor, while Fax went to the kitchen to grab her coffee.

Rosalina was lying in her bed looking up at the ceiling thinking. "Was I right to do what I did, am I making a huge mistake?" ,she asked herself. She began to remember her super hero days, and how her and the girls would fight evil, and Bowser would show up and help. "I guess now, all of that's down the drain…" ,she mumbled as she turned over to go to sleep.

"Well, now that Mimi's gone thing will be a piece of cake." ,said Despero as he stood watching the next victim. "Ahahahaha! Wow, I gotta hand it to ya Despero, you're a pretty sly dog!" ,said Angelica, who had invited herself into the room. "Go away Angelica, I'm concentrating." ,said Despero. "Concentrating? On what, we both know you don't have the brain power, skill, patients, and persistence to handle this mission." ,Angelica said in a cocky tone. Despero turned around and looked her in the face. "You're testing my patience Bitch!" ,he said as he growled at her. "Well, well, well, it also looks like you don't have the temper control either. But anyway, good luck!" ,Angelica said as she disappeared into the darkness.

Bowser walked into the forest, just outside the campus. It was night time, to make sure that no one saw him leaving campus without checking out. "Hollister, I know you're out here!" ,shouted Bowser as he looked around through the trees and bushes. All of a sudden, Hollister leaped out from behind Bowser, and began to attack him. Bowser began fit and agile, managed to dodge his blows, Bowser used his powers to climb a tree and did a back flip, landing behind Hollister. He the punched him hard in the back, knocking Hollister down. "Good, I was testing you to see if you were still fit!" ,said Hollister as he got up on his feet. "You were right, Rosalina doesn't like me anymore." ,said Bowser. Hollister looked at him funny, and then changed his facial expression, hoping Bowser didn't see his face. "Ohh, yeah…..I told you bro, now for the next item of business. Will you work with me?" ,he asked as Bowser looked up at him. Bowser thought about it for a minute and decided to do it. So both of them headed out.

"Hahaha! Give me the crystal doll face!" A creature that was formed by Despero was holding an old woman against a wall trying to get the piece of the crystal. "Excellent work, Beraknight, now take it!" ,shouted Despero as he watched in pleasure. "Please, I beg you, stop!" ,screamed the old lady as Beraknight placed her hand on the woman's forehead. A beam of black light shot out as the piece of the dark crystal was revealed. "Yes, yes!" ,said Despero, cheering from the sidelines. Beraknight through the woman on the ground and headed over to Despero. Before the woman could transform, Fax shot a blast of her healing magic from her scepter at her. "What!" ,said Despero, who turned around and saw the star squad standing proud. "Now guys!" ,shouted Fax. "Star Striker Blades!" "Star Energetic Disks!" ,shouted both Titan and Allister. Titan went after Despero with his sabers and Allister through his disks at Beraknight. Beraknight was hit with the disks and stunned for a few seconds, enough time for Fax to step in. "Star Scepter Battle Blast!" ,shouted Fax as a ray of energy shot Beraknight, reducing her to dust. Titan was going hard at it with Despero, but Despero had the upper hand with a his blade. "Stop" ,shouted a man from atop a house. It was Bowser who had come to help his friends. Titan backed off to watch his friend duel. Despero and Bowser took turns giving and receiving blows, until Bowser slipped Despero up long enough to snatch the dark crystal piece. After he had retrieved it he bailed. The others were stunned, but they couldn't do a thing. They had hoped that there friend was going to bring that piece back to the house but they figured not, there friend had gone evil, once more.

"All right, that's enough, it's time to put a stop to your little hero game!" ,said Despero as he blasted the group back onto the ground, with a powerful force of energy. He went to attack, but it failed. The group turned their heads to see that their other friends had come to join the party. "I am Birdy, leader of the Galactic Warriors, my power is that of the winds of the desert, and your history!" "My name is Toadette, I am the second member of the Galactic Warriors, my power is that of the waters of the oceans, and I plan to rain down on you!" "My name is Timpani, I am the third member of the Galactic Warriors, and my power is the power of foresight." "I am Haylee, the fourth member of the Galactic Warriors, my power is the power of destruction, with one gaze, I could completely rip you to shreds!" ,said the girls as they came out of hiding. "Water Shifting Momentum!" ,shouted Toadette as a flood of water came out of nowhere and blasted Despero. "Man, their tuff, they talk to much, but tuff!" ,he said as he disappeared before anyone else could attack.

"Well, I guess that raps up our job!" ,said Birdy as she turned her back and began to walk away. Toadette, Timpani, and Haylee looked at the gang in apology and then followed Birdy off into the distance. "Well, that was awkward, we lost the piece of the crystal, and we lost the fight." ,said Peach trying to break the silence. "Yes, but we have to make sure at all costs that we don't lose the next one!" ,said Fax as she transformed back into her normal clothing and headed for home.

"Bowser, no, you can't possibly take on the Shadow Queen all by yourself!" "I'll do my best, for our love, and for this kingdom!" "Come on, if you have the guts!" "Take this!" "Ahahaha, it's time to end this game!" "No, Bowser, no!" "Heyaaahhhh!" "Hahaha, pitiful fool!" "Rosalina, take care…of…yourself…" "Bowser, Noooooo!"

Rosalina woke up from her long sleep that had lasted all night. She got out of bed and headed to her bathroom to brush her teeth, thinking only on past things that had happened. "Star Celestial Power!" "I am Rosalina, protector of the cosmos, and with the help of my friends, and the forces of the stars, I shall defeat you!" She finished her teeth and cleaned up before heading up stairs to the kitchen to get something to eat. "Good morning sunshine!" ,Fax greeted her, with a nice big hug. "Hey!" ,Rosalina tried to disguise her true feelings, but it was no use, Fax saw right through it. "What's wrong dear?" ,Fax said as Rosalina passed her to get a glass of orange juice. "Come on girls, let's show this creep who's boss!" "Take this! Star Beautiful Gaze!" "Hold on guys, I'll get us out of this! Star Power!" Rosalina turned to Fax, looking her straight in the eyes. "Nothing is wrong, I'm just tired." ,she said as she walked past her friend with her juice and headed back to her room, leaving Fax in the dark.

"Despero! You let another one slip from our hands! Not only is there one more to find, but now we have two pieces missing! Leaving us with only two in hand!" ,said Analicia. "I know my queen, and as soon as I return with this next one, I promise that I will find the stolen two pieces." ,said Despero as he bowed in front of her. "Oh that won't be necessary." ,said Angelica as she walked into the room. "Ahh, Angelica, have you succeeded?" ,said Analicia. "Yes I have!" ,Angelica said as she threw the final piece to Analicia. "What!" ,said Despero, who was in a state of shock and disappointment. "If you want something done you have to do it right Despero, which is why I sent Angelica to retrieve the final piece in your absence." ,said Analicia. "I promise, my queen I will not fail you this time!" ,said Despero. "Good, I hope the best for your mission!" ,said Analicia with a smirk. Despero looked at Angelica with anger as he departed.

Today, was the day that everyone had packed up to leave for camp, so naturally they were all busy. Titan was helping Allister zip up his suitcase that was filled to the top. Peach and Fax were putting on their make up. Rick and Qase were in there room playing games instead of packing, and Rosalina of course was packed and waiting for them out in the living room. She was watching television when all of a sudden the screen blanked out and showed an image of Despero. "Hello there Rosalina!" ,he said as Rosalina sat up in the chair startled. "You! What do you want!" ,she asked as Despero grinned. "Well I trust that your friends have told you all about the nature of their condition. I would like to propose a duel. If you win you get the three crystal pieces we have and vice versa!" ,he said. "But we don't have any pieces, they were taken." ,said Rosalina who was confused. "That's the catch, you have to find them, once you have found them bring them to the Star Gate on the outskirts of Skyland, and we shall duel." ,he said. "Ok, how long do I have?" ,Rosalina said. Fax was behind the corner the whole time, listening to the conversation. "You have, three hours to find the pieces and bring them here, but remember, come alone!" ,Despero said as he disappeared allowing the television to pick back up on its signal. "So I guess you're not going to camp then?" ,said Fax as she revealed herself. "No I'm not." ,said Rosalina. "Then neither am I!" ,exclaimed Fax. "Don't be that way, it's too dangerous, I have to do this alone, that's my final word!" ,said Rosalina as she stormed out of the room.

"Ok, I have three hours to locate Bowser and Hollister, so, where could they be?" ,Rosalina thought as she stared out into the open field behind the house. "I guess It's time to break out my old locket and use the tracking device on Bowser." Rosalina held up her locket knowing she had to be quick and began to shout. "Star Celestial Power!" ,she shouted as she was transformed into her warrior outfit that she had not used in two years. She immediately used her powers to locate Bowser, who was standing, talking to Hollister in the forest on the outskirts of the castle town. Rosalina then used her powers to teleport to the woods as fast as she could.

"Ok, now that we have two pieces, we have enough power to stop the Star Squad, which is the first thing on our to do list!" ,said Hollister who was conversing with his older brother Bowser. Bowser had been implanted with a memory spore, which allowed Hollister to get inside his mind and have control. "Yes, now let's go find them!" ,said Bowser. "I don't think so!" ,said Rosalina who had leaped out of nowhere. "What!" ,Hollister said as he turned and looked at her. "I am not happy with the wrongs you have committed, and so I shall permanently end your game Hollister, as for you Bowser, we'll talk later!" ,said Rosalina who was ready for battle. "Bro, take her down, now!" ,said Hollister as Bowser charged at her. Rosalina dodged his blows and he did hers, it looked like rockets shooting at each other constantly up in the air. Rosalina could only think of one reason why Bowser was doing this, he had been brain washed, but the only way she could fix the problem is if she could get far enough away to use her cosmic scepter. She continued to attack until Bowser finally slipped up and she knocked him down with the hardest punch she could conjure up. She jumped back far enough and then pulled out her scepter, beginning to charge it up. "What are you doing!" ,Hollister yelled from across the area knowing she was about to set Bowser free. "Fixing the problem!" ,she said. She raised her scepter and pointed it at Hollister. "Cosmic Scepter Obliteration!" ,she shouted as Hollister was overcome with bright light. "Nooooooo!" ,he screamed as he disappeared. Bowser had regained consciousness. "Rosalina, you came back!" ,he said as she held him in her arms. "Yes, I realize now I made a mistake, but you have to understand I did this to protect you." ,she said. "I know, now I realize that, at first I was just too angry to care." ,he said as she helped him up. They both leaned in and kissed, as he took his right hand that was holding the crystal pieces and placed it in hers, giver her the crystal pieces.

"Bowser, I hope you realize, that I would never leave you!" ,Rosalina said as she began to cry. "Bowser wiped away her tears. "I know, we're destined to be together, forever. Soon this will be our kingdom to rule, but first we must take care of this evil that haunts it!" ,Bowser said as both of them walked away hand in hand.

"Excellent, she now had the pieces, soon the collection will be complete, at this point it really doesn't matter if she brings anyone with her, which I'm sure she will, I hope she doesn't think I'm planning on being fair! This will be the end of the princess and her little gang of friends!" ,said Despero who was watching from a distance.

Rosalina and Bowser entered the house with a welcome back party waiting for them. "Surprise!" ,yelled everyone who was inside the house. "Thank you guys!" ,Rosalina said with a huge smile on her face. "Bowser it's great to meet you!" ,shouted Titan and Allister her immediately ran and gave him a hug. "Thanks guys!" ,he said. Rosalina's happy expression soon changed to a serious expression as everyone stopped what they were doing to hear what she had to say. "Well, this is where I leave you guys so I can stop Despero and get back the Claire and the dark crystal." ,she said as she turned around and walked out before anyone could say a thing. Everyone watched her leave and as soon as she was gone they began to converse about what to do next.

Rosalina suited up once more and teleported herself to the Star Gate. When she arrived, she noticed that the gate had been opened, so being cautious of her surroundings she entered into an alternate dimension where she was greeted by Despero. "Good evening, Miss Toadstool, I am so glad to finally get to meet you face to face. Have you brought them?" ,he asked. "Yes, but first show me yours." ,she replied. "Smart girl, smart girl." ,he grinned as he held out his three pieces and placed them in the center of the room. She did the same, and both of them headed back to their original positions. "Ok, now!" ,said Despero as Angelica appeared and grabbed all five pieces. "How dare you!" ,said Rosalina as Despero began to laugh. Angelica retreated back behind Despero to watch the fight. "Did you honestly think I was gonna play fair, princess?" ,chuckled Despero. "That's enough!" ,said Bowser as him and the Star Squad suddenly appeared side by side with Rosalina. "Well, as I recall, I told you to come alone didn't I?" ,asked Despero sarcastically. "Yes, but you should know, no one ever works alone!" ,Rosalina replied as she smiled at her comrades. "Well then let's get this show started and finished!" ,Despero said as a big chunk of ice formed in his hand like a spear, and he chucked it at her. The squad didn't know what to do, the ice spear was coming at Rosalina to fast to do an attack. Suddenly Bowser jumped in front of her, taking a direct hit in the chest as he fell to his knees. "No!" ,screamed Rosalina as she fell before him in tears.

Bowser completely collapsed, not even being able to say a word as he passed. Despero just stood their without any emotion waiting for Rosalina to retaliate. All of a sudden the pieces of the dark crystal began to react, and they all came together, reforming into one. As the light dimmed from the burst of energy, Princess Claire appeared in front of Bowser and Rosalina. "Dear Rosalina, do not fret, he is still with you." ,she said as she then leaned down to him and touched his forehead. After doing this he awoke in Rosalina's arms. "Rosalina?" ,he asked softly. "I'm hear Bowser, we did it!" ,she said as streams of tears fell from her eyes. Claire smiled as she raised her hands. "And now it is time for all of you to receive your new powers!" ,she said as a beam of light came and touched all of them. Claire then took the dark crystal and completely destroyed it. "Well then it's all over?" ,asked Fax. "Not quite!" ,Despero said as everyone turned and looked at him. "No, we failed, we need to get out now!" ,said Angelica. "No! I'm not going, I'm finished anyway so I will go out with them!" ,said Despero. Angelica retreated without any hesitation, leaving Despero to fend for himself. "If you think you can princess, then destroy me, I no longer desire to be here." ,he said, showing no sign of retaliation. Rosalina stood up holding her new scepter in hand. "If that is what you wish." ,she said as Bowser and Claire stepped back to join the others. Despero stood in one place ready to be destroyed. "Starlight Scepter Healing!" ,she shouted as Despero was hit with a blinding, cleansing light. He let out a huge scream as he was overcome by the light, and he was released completely renewed. "What, what did you do?" ,he said as he stood in a state of shock. "I healed you, I don't believe anyone should die, if their heart is pure, and though you have committed many wrongs, you showed me right then that you were ready to give up your old life if you had the chance." ,she said as she smiled. "Thank you!" ,he said as he disappeared. All of the newly restored group then was returned to the Star Gate where they then conversed.

"Well, what's next on the agenda?" ,asked Peach. "We try and find out where Angelica went and stop her and Analicia." ,Rosalina replied. "By the way does anyone truly know what Analicia wanted to do with the dark crystal?" ,asked Titan. "Long ago, their were four beings created by the creator of light to protect the sacred realm. One of them, Mauricia, was able to see inside of it and began to lust after its power. So in fear the other three guardians combined there powers to seal her away. Only something as powerful as the dark crystal could free her, but she still must be destroyed before another opportunity comes." ,explained Rosalina. "Well, I guess we have another mission then!" ,said Fax as they all left to go home…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4*The New Mission*

"So Angelica, Despero was defeated, and you also have failed to capture the princess, and the dark crystal was destroyed, I have to say, I am extremely disappointed!" ,said Analicia. "I know, my queen, I am sorry, I tried to help Despero, but he wouldn't listen to me!" ,she said in the hopes that she wouldn't get blamed. "I see, well in that case I am grateful." ,said Analicia as she raised her hand. "What are you doing?" ,asked Angelica. "I must say, I am disappointed that you would lie to me, you failed me as much as Despero, now I say wallow in pain for all eternity!" ,said Analicia as she quickly took out Angelica without any hesitation. "Now, my great queen, Mauricia, is there any other way that we can free you!" ,she said as Mauricia appeared in dark smoke. "Yes, but it will come at a great risk!" ,replied Mauricia. "Whatever it is I shall do it!" ,said Analicia. "You must lure the princess and her friends here, once you succeed at that pick them off one by one until the girl, Rosalina, is alone. We shall use her to free me, she shall be the vessel I use!" ,said Mauricia. "Excellent! It shall be done!" ,said Analicia. "Good, do not fail me as your minions have!" ,said Mauricia as Analicia disappeared.

"It's time" ,said Rosalina as she walked into the darkness to finish the fight. She walked slowly at first but then began to pick up pace. Finally she came to a corridor that led straight to where the Shadow Queen was. In one instant She fell flat on the ground, closing her eyes, as the area surrounding her went blank. "My sweet heart, do not worry, the time is coming when you will need your strength, I am always with you." Rosalina woke up in her bed soaking wet from all of the sweat, her covers and pillows were completely across the room. She sat up, holding her head in her hands trying to figure out why she kept having dreams about her mother and her past…

"Angelica, it is your duty to make sure that Rosalina and her friends follow you back here, so do whatever you have to, to make it happen!" ,said Analicia as she sent Angelica off to finish the job. "It shall be done!" ,said Angelica as she departed.

"You know, I don't understand how you could have done it!" "It was easy…" "How dare you step foot in my father's house!" "Then shall we finish this!" Rosalina snapped out of another flash back, this time she was with Bowser on the deck looking out into the open sky. "I just don't understand why this keeps happening to me, I feel like I'm loosing my mind!" ,Rosalina said as she began to choke up on her words from the tears rolling down her face. "I don't know, but whatever it is, we'll figure it out together, I promise." ,said Bowser as he held her close. Rick and Qase ran out onto the deck to speak to them. "You guys, we have urgent news!" ,said Rick. "Yes, what is it?" ,asked Rosalina. "It's Angelica, she's been spotted just outside of town heading towards this huge portal, this may be our chance to follow her." ,said Qase. "Ok, let's go Bowser, you two will stay her of course and keep watch." ,said Rosalina as she rushed up. Rick and Qase moped back to the lab, because they hoped to come. "Cosmic Star Power!" ,shouted Rosalina as she suited up for battle. Bowser also transformed into his armor and they both headed out to meet up with the others at the town gates.

"Ok, so I'm guessing that's the portal that Angelica went through?" ,Fax asked as everyone gathered around this slowly growing void. "Yep, let's go there's no time to waste!" ,Rosalina demanded as she jumped in with everyone else following behind. "Do you think we should follow them?" ,Timpani asked Birdy as the Galactic Warriors continued to watch the void. "No, we need to stay here, and make sure that this hole doesn't grow, I have about feeling about it." ,Birdy said and they continued to watch it. It was dark inside the void but the gang held arms to make sure no one was lost. All of a sudden Angelica appeared. "Well, welcome to the void of darkness, I'm glad you guys decided to come to this glorious place. I hope you enjoy it because your gonna be here for a long time!" ,shouted Angelica has she used a big gust of wind to blow everyone apart from each other. Although they were blasted pretty far away, they managed to hold it together and made it to this big castle, the only way in though was through a dark cave so cautiously the group traveled inside.

"Well, they managed to make it in, I guess it's time to launch phase two then!" ,chuckled a mysterious voice The group made it inside the first room, which was the hall of staircases. But they were soon stopped by a girl in a magicians outfit. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the fantastic dark ring magician show. The girl took off her cloak and revealed herself to be Wendy Koopa. "What! Wendy?" ,shouted Bowser to his niece. "Yes, it's moi! But no time for introductions folks, we got a show to do!" ,she said as she pulled off her bracelets and chucked them at Bowser and Titan. They were both caught by surprise and in an instant were being strangled by the now tightening bracelets. "That's enough!" ,shouted peach as she pulled out some confusing powder and threw it at Wendy. Wendy managed to dodge it barely, pulling out another two bracelets to trap her next victims which were Peach and Allister. The only two people left free standing were Fax and Rosalina. Bowser, Titan, Allister, and Peach were then transported deeper into the castle while Wendy fought with Fax and Rosalina. "Well, what's gonna happen next?" ,asked Wendy sarcastically. "Your end!" ,said Fax. Fax then turned to Rosalina and both of them automatically knew what to do, leaving Wendy confused. "Star Freezing dust!" ,shouted Fax as a big pile of snow dust flew out at Wendy and stunned her, allowing Rosalina the perfect opportunity. She raised her scepter and pointed it at Wendy. "Cosmic…Scepter…Obliteration!" ,Rosalina shouted as light engulfed the room, reducing Wendy to dust.

The girls gave each other a high five and ran straight for the door to the next room. This time the room they had reached was full of pillars and mazelike corridors. "Well, I see you made it this far, but you seem to be missing a whole lot of your pals!" ,said Angelica as she appeared in front of the girls. "Give them back to us now!" ,shouted Rosalina. "Do you really think I would do that?" ,Angelica replied. "Then I guess we'll have to do this the hard way!" ,said Fax as she ran up to Angelica and gave her a punch that threw her halfway across the room. She blasted threw many pillars and lots of smoke and debris filled the room as Rosalina and Fax got closer to see if that was it. "Dang girl, you pack a pretty good punch!" ,said Rosalina who was looking at Fax in amazement. "Thanks, but I don't think it's over." ,said Fax as she pointed to Angelica who began to get up. "You shouldn't have done that!" ,she said in a almost demonic voice as her eyes began to glow red. She flew straight for Fax leaving Rosalina behind. The two of them fought long and hard while Rosalina tried to get a clear shot with her scepter. "Hold still!" ,she said as the two continued to give each other blows. "Umm, hello do you really think I can?" ,shouted Fax. Suddenly Angelica transformed her right hand into a dagger and shot it straight at Fax's chest. "Noo!" ,screamed Rosalina as Fax fell to the ground, leaving Angelica to watch her in laughter. "Rosalina, you have to go on! It's you who has to save the world!" ,Fax said quickly before she closed her eyes. "No, I won't let this happen, but my Cosmic Scepter can't possibly stand up to her." ,Rosalina mumbled to herself while Angelica stood occupied by watching Fax's dead body. "Believe!" ,said a voice in Rosalina's head. Rosalina suddenly looked up wondering where the voice came from. "Believe, in me!" Rosalina heard the voice again followed by a loud heart beat. She closed her eyes in faith. "I believe" She spoke and suddenly a light came from her chest and illuminated the room, blinding Angelica. Then, a newly crafted, golden scepter was placed into Rosalina's hands, she opened her eyes and immediately knew what to do. Angelica was blinded to much to do anything but stand their. Rosalina raised the scepter into the air and a gust of wind flew into the room. "Golden…Scepter…Obliteration!" ,she shouted as a beam of golden light shot from the scepter and directly hit Angelica, destroying her from the inside out. Rosalina fell to the ground and her scepter changed back to the Cosmic Scepter as the room dimmed back to its original lighting. Rosalina then got up and ran to look for a way out, she ran and ran but at every corner there was just another blank wall.

"Ahh! At last she's alone, now, Rosalina Toadstool, it's time to meet face to face." ,said Analicia. A bright orb flew into the room where Rosalina was engulfing her and transporting her into the throne room. She fell flat on the floor trying to raise herself up. "I must commend you for making it this far!" ,said Analicia who was standing across the room from Rosalina in a shadow. "You must be Analicia." ,said Rosalina in a serious tone as she stood up. "Yes, and now it is time for us to finish this. I'm sure your wandering by now why you were brought her?" ,asked Analicia. "Brought here?" ,Rosalina replied in confusion. "Yes, this was planned, a set up if you will. You see, I need you." ,said Analicia. "For what?" ,shouted Rosalina. "You are the only other way Queen Mauricia can be freed!" ,Analicia replied. "What!" "We shall use your body, but first you must be killed, we can't have two souls in one body, I hope you understand!" ,said Analicia. Rosalina took a fighting stance, ready for battle, knowing this was the moment.

"If you think that I'm going to fight, then you might as well stop, I have someone who will fight in my place." ,said Analicia who called forth her hidden servant Kaizer, Rosalina's brother. Rosalina's eyes widened at the sight of her brother who had ran away from home when she was five. "No! How?" ,she asked. "Awe, how touching, a reunion, but it's so sad that you two had to meet again like this." ,chuckled Analicia. Kaizer stood in front of Analicia looking at his sister, emotionless. "It can't be possible, my brother would never hurt me!" ,said Rosalina as she looked at him waiting for him to do something. Rosalina began to remember some old child memories of her and her brother. How they would sneak out off their beds at night and go to the tree on the hill and play tag, how they would have singing competitions, and how they would send secret messages to each other behind their parents backs. "I grow tired of this, it's time you paid for your incompetence, Kaizer, destroy her!" ,ordered Queen Analicia. "Stop!" ,shouted Bowser from across the room as the Squad followed behind him. "My prince!" ,Rosalina shouted as Bowser rushed past her to fight Kaizer. Kaizer and Bowser drew out their blades and began to clash. Fax quickly ran over to Rosalina to help her over to the group so they could escape. "I don't think so!" ,said Analicia as she forced Fax and the others back against the wall, she then levitated Rosalina up to her and quickly she rushed to the back room behind the throne. "We have to stop her!" ,shouted Peach. "What can we do, we're stuck!" ,said Titan who was trying to struggle free. "It's all up to Bowser!" ,said Allister as he watched calmly at him and Kaizer fighting. Suddenly after a minute or two of none stop combat, the two of them spread out to rest. "You, how could you do this to your sister!" ,shouted Bowser as he took in deep breadths. "I live to serve my Queen Analicia!" ,shouted Kaizer as he rushed toward Bowser. Him and Bowser once again began to clash swords, that was the only sound made in the entire room, the sound of clanging metal as the group watched helplessly from against the wall.

"Stop this!" ,Bowser shouted. "No!" ,Kaizer replied as he then took his blade and tried to slash Bowser from head to toe. Bowser quickly dropped his blade and grabbed on to Kaizer's, and he quickly turned it to the side, leaving bloody marks on both their hands, and he grabbed it with all the force he could muster up. Kaizer was left speechless as Bowser went for his throat. "Stop!" ,shouted Fax from across the room. Kaizer quickly fell to his knees and Bowser withdrew the blade. "Do you really think Rosalina would do this!" ,Fax asked Bowser. "What choice do we have, you guys are trapped and the only way to get to her is through him!" ,Bowser said. "I will heal him!" ,said Fax. "How, we're trapped?" ,asked Titan.

"I believe!" ,said Fax as her body began to glow. Peach quickly caught on and she shut her eyes and said the same thing, then suddenly her body began to glow. Both of them were set free and Fax pulled out her scepter. "What just happened!" ,asked Allister. Peach then turned around smiling at the boys. "Believe!" ,was all she said leaving the boys puzzled. "Believe in what?" ,Titan said. Peach then turned around knowing that she would have to explain later and Fax pointed her scepter at Kaizer as Bowser moved aside. Kaizer showed no sign of moving or even wanting to move. "Star Majestic Healing!" ,shouted Fax as Kaizer was reawakened as the brother Rosalina once knew. He rose to his feet slowly as Titan and Allister were quickly let go. "You…saved me!" ,said Kaizer. "I didn't…" ,said Fax as she put away her scepter. "As touching as this is, we need to get moving, the princess is in danger!" ,shouted Allister. "Yes, we must hurry before Analicia gives her to Mauricia!" ,said Kaizer. "What?" ,asked Peach. "Come on, I'll explain on the way!" ,said Kaizer as they all headed through the door behind the throne.

"At last the time has come!" ,said Analicia who was standing beside Rosalina who was struggling to get free. "Yes, now do what has to be done, but hurry, those fools are on their way down here!" ,said Mauricia in a hastened voice. "Yes, my Queen!" ,shouted Analicia, she then turned to Rosalina and pulled out a dagger that was hidden away inside her rod and slit Rosalina's throat. The gang could here her scream as they tried to run even faster down the steps. "Yes, her my queen!" ,said Analicia as she place Rosalina in the center of the room. The group finally reached the end of the passage way as Analicia stood their ready to greet them. Without any hesitation, Allister, Titan, Peach, and Bowser combined their powers and blasted her down. "Star Scepter Destruction!" ,shouted Fax as their combined powers tore Analicia to shreds leaving only a deafening screech. After that was taken care of the gang quickly ran over to Rosalina who was standing on her knees looking straight down at the floor. "Rosalina are you alright!" ,asked Fax as she put her hand on her shoulder. "I…am…free!" ,shouted Mauricia, as she levitated up into the air in her new body. She began to study this new body as she chuckled. No words were heard as the group stood in a look of defeat. "You have fought well, Star Squad, but it was all in vain I'm afraid!" ,laughed Mauricia as she lifted her hand and in an instant the whole group was blasted against the ground.

"We're too late!" ,said Peach as they all looked up at Mauricia who was laughing in enjoyment. Back outside in the kingdom. Birdy, Timpani, Haylee, and Toadette were busy fighting off many monsters as the void grew so large that all that could be seen in the sky across the town was a dark purple sky. "Oceanic Hurricane!" ,shouted Toadette as she guided the waters of a near by lake against the huge monster that was coming out of the void. "This is our only chance!" ,said Timpani to Haylee signaling what to do. Birdy and Toadette looked at them both, knowing what they were about to do. "No! You can't!" ,shouted Toadette. "We must!" ,said Haylee. Birdy and Toadette stepped down as Timpani raised her Staff in the air, followed by Haylee. "Ultimate Time Bomb!" ,shouted Timpani as a huge energy bomb appeared in front of the monster. Before Haylee spoke the final words she thought about how this would end both her and Timpani's lives. Finally with our delay, Haylee spoke. "Ultimate Detonation!" The bomb then blew up in a huge blast so powerful that half the forest was destroyed, and all that could be seen was layer after layer of smoke.

"I am so sorry for all of you! It must be hard to accept that you have failed." ,said Mauricia. "We haven't failed." ,mumbled Fax as she rose to her feet. The other began to look at her determination to succeed. "We will win, as long as we believe!" ,she shouted as Peach looked at he and smiled. Peach then rose to her feet as well. Bowser followed after that, after finally figuring out what they were talking about. Allister and Titan still did not get it as they struggled to get up as well. "Believe!" ,whispered a voice to both of them, they looked around to find out where it came from, but it seemed that they were the only one to here it. "Believe in the one who created you!" ,the voice whispered again, and from that moment on the two of them knew what to do. They both, at the same time then said that they believed, and they were able to get up.

"I don't believe you're truly evil, you just made a wrong choice, everyone does from time to time." ,said Fax as she looked up at Mauricia. "How dare you!" ,Mauricia replied. "I'ts true!" ,said Peach. "Rosalina if you can hear me, I'm coming." ,Fax said in her mind. "Ok, let's go!" ,Bowser shouted. Bowser, Titan, and Allister flew straight up to fight with Mauricia. "Wow, how desperate are you that you would come all the way up here in harms way." ,she said as she watched them coming for her. "All together!" ,Bowser said. "Star Striker Blade Toss!" "Star Energetic Disk Throw!" "Ultimate Death Wish!" ,shouted the three boys as their attacks blasted towards Mauricia, but she held them off. The boys began to try harder, and harder until finally the attacks reached maximum power and Mauricia was shot down into the ground, leaving a huge gap in the floor. The boys looked down to see if she was gone. "How… dare…you!" ,Mauricia said as she began to surround herself with dark energy. "You shall be punished for hurting me!" ,she said as one glance at the boys blasted them hard against the wall, causing them to fall against the floor passed out. "Anyone else wanna try to get in my way?" ,asked Mauricia sarcastically as the girls stood their speechless. "I will…" ,said Fax as she stood up in front of Mauricia. Mauricia back handed her as hard as she could, so hard that blood shot from Fax's lip. Fax did nothing to defend herself, leaving Mauricia to get even more angry, she continued to slap and punch Fax, but every time Fax would just stand there and take it. "Nooo! Stop!" ,Peach said as she ran towards Fax, but Fax stopped her. "No! Don't come near me." ,she said as Peach stepped back. "Fax turned and looked at Mauricia again who was still giving her blows in the face, until her face was bloodied up. "Rosalina, I know your still in there, if you can here me wake up! Wake up, and stop Mauricia." ,she said as she continued taking blows.

All of a sudden in a dark corner of her mind sat Rosalina, who looked up. She looked hollow, as if she had nothing left to live for. "Rosalina, don't give up, you can still change this!" ,echoed Fax. Rosalina then saw a small glow far back away from where she was sitting. "Believe, believe." said an echoing voice. "Who…who…are you?" ,she asked the small glow as it took the form of a man that was glowing to bright to see. "I am the one who can help you." ,he said. "Help me?" ,she asked. "Yes, you wish to save your friends, and your world, correct?" ,he said. She nodded her head "yes" as she continued to stare at the glowing light. "Then believe in me!" ,he said. Rosalina closed her eyes and said "I believe." Instantly she was restored and was wearing her royal dress. Light filled the area as Mauricia on the outside began to lose control. Fax and Peach both looked in confusion as they both stepped back. "Noo! This will not happen!" ,Mauricia shouted as she was overcome with light. Then Rosalina and Mauricia were separated, leaving Mauricia as a dark smoke-like figure. "It's time to finish this, I know that you can be saved, and I know that you want to be, deep down." ,Rosalina said. "What!" ,said Mauricia as she blasted Rosalina back.

"I will free you from the evil that has haunted you all these years." ,said Rosalina as she held her arms out. The room filled with a gust of wind as Rosalina flew toward Mauricia's soul. "How dare you try to approach me!" ,she said as she attacked Rosalina to try to stop her. By the time the attack was over, Rosalina's clothes were ripped to pieces and blood was pouring over her body. "I know it's not too late, and it will be done, I know you want it." ,said Rosalina. "I do, I do want it!" ,said Mauricia's inner soul. She began to look at herself in fear. "What am I doing!" ,she asked herself. "I want it, I want it!" ,she said as Rosalina flew towards her and lifted her hand, touching her forehead. "Noooo!" ,Mauricia screamed as her body began to crack open and a dark smoke flew out of her body, revealing a beautiful, clean woman.

"Thank you, princess." ,she said as both of them came down to the floor. Peach and Fax watched as they conversed. "You are welcome, now go and repair everything that was broken in your life!" ,Rosalina said as she wiped a tear from Mauricia's face. Mauricia then left as the room began to disappear revealing the front of Castle Town. "You did it!" ,shouted Fax as her and Peach ran towards Rosalina. Birdy, Toadette, Timpani, and Haylee then walked off without any word. "It was because of you that I was strong enough!" ,Rosalina told Fax. They both began to cry as the boys woke up and came over to the girls. "What did we miss?" ,asked Bowser. Rosalina, walked over to Bowser and kissed him. "Nothing, Bowser, nothing at all." ,she said but Bowser was enjoying himself to much to care. On their way back home Titan asked Fax to walk slowly behind with him. "Fax there is something I've been wanting to say, ever since I met you." ,said Titan as he looked at her. "What is?" ,Fax asked. "I…well…I…" ,he was then stopped by Allister. "Just go ahead and say it!" ,he said as everybody stopped and watched. Titan began to blush as he turned back around to Fax. "Yes?" ,Fax said. "I, really like you…" ,he said to her as she began to have a glow in her eyes, she ran jumped into his arms and kissed him. "I feel the same way." ,she said and they all continued to walk back home.

"So now that this is over, what's next?" ,asked Peach. "We go home and try to finish up this summer the best way possible!" ,said Fax. "Yep, movies, picnics, dates!" ,said Allister. "I so can't wait for Berry Rogers to come out, only ten more days!" ,said Peach. "You're never gonna quit talking about that are you?" ,asked Fax. "Never!" ,Peach replied. The got home and all went their separate ways to finish up the day with some sleep.

In a glass pillard dark room. "Well, this is great, won't these colors look lovely on me?" ,said Crysallis as she held up her new purple and pink dress in front of her sister. "Wow, you call that fashion? Hahaha!" ,said Loretta. "Hey! No one asked you Loretta!" ,said Ruby, Crysallis's sister. "Enough girls Count Bleck is waiting for us!" ,said Derek. They entered into the main hall of Death Mansion to receive orders. "You called, my count?" ,asked Derek. "Yes, I did. As you all know we have been called to do our work of collecting the eight pure hearts from the dimensions. And now we have arrived at the next spot, Mushroom World." ,said Count Bleck. They all turned and looked through a piece of glass at the planet. "This planet?" ,said Loretta said as she turned to look at the Count in disappointment. "Yes, It looks rather primitive, but it won't be easy, I have received report that there is a group of "heroes" there. They will undoubtedly try to stop you, but do not fail!" ,said the Count. "We won't!" ,said Derek as him and the girls left the room.

Count Bleck looked at Earth and smiled, holding up his glass of champagne. "I always get what I want, always!" He began to chuckle as he walked back towards another room…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5*A New Evil*

It was a stormy night, everything was quiet inside the house, not one person was awake, except for Rosalina. She quickly climbed out of bed and headed to the study of the house. When she arrived she closed the door and walked over to the other side of the room at the bookshelf. She pulled out one of the books which opened up a secret passage. She walked down the spiral staircase that was revealed, her feet became cold for the stairs along with the walls and the ceiling were made of concrete. This passage way led to a chamber deep under the castle town, a chamber that was built centuries back when the Mushroom Kingdom was first established. Rosalina knew about this chamber because it was tradition that it be passed down to each princess as the generations progressed. When the Mushroom Kingdom first came to be, the queen, Queen Ribolda, was sent a vision that one day a princess of the kingdom would be chosen to defeat the evil that would haunt the kingdom, and that she must prepare a place for that princess and lock a special sword that only the chosen princess could retrieve. So it was that Queen Ribolda had her men create a secret passage way deep beneath the castle and there she lay to rest, the Sword of Light, and she also told her daughter about it and commanded her to continue to pass the secret on to each princess down the line until the right princess who would slay this evil came to be. So after many centuries the old castle was torn down and a quiet neighborhood was built in it's place, creating the house that our heroes live in today.

Rosalina walked over to the pedestal that held the sword, she could not see it for it was locked deep beneath the stone. The sword would not be revealed until the day the chosen princess was to vanquish the evil. Rosalina stood over the stone thinking about how she wished she could return to the castle, but with her father being killed, she could not return, for she was only seventeen and in the kingdom one can not claim the title of king or queen until there eighteenth birthday, but the crown could not be stolen either, so Rosalina only need wait one whole year and she can become queen. This was the year that everything was going to change, and also the reason she felt the need to come home.

"I have to do this, this is our only chance." "I know, I'm gonna miss you so much!" "I'll never forget you Rosalina, you'll always be my love!" "I love you so much!" "Well Bowser, Fax, it's been a long ride, nice knowing ya!" Rosalina thought about some old memories once again as she rolled over in her bed and closed her eyes.

The next day, Rosalina and Bowser stood out on the deck area talking and drinking their morning coffee. "There's a wind of change Bowser, I can feel it." ,said Rosalina as she stared out over the wide landscape in front of them both. "You've still been having those dreams and memories, haven't you?" ,Bowser asked as he turned and looked at her. For a moment Rosalina hesitated to speak. "Yes, yes I have, they keep coming back, as if there's something I need to know in order to fulfill my destiny, but I don't know what." ,she said as she felt a slight breeze swipe her face. "What are the memories that you have been seeing the most of?" ,Bowser asked hoping he wasn't digging into her privacy too deep. "Well, I have been having nightmares about the night my mother left, I still don't ever know what truly happened that night. Just that, she comforted me as she was leaving, telling me not to worry and how she would always watch over me. The last time I saw her after that was…in a casket." ,Rosalina looked down to hide her tears. "I think about how I lost my grandfather, and how I lost Merlon. How I almost lost you and Fax, it all comes back so clearly as if it's happening all over again. I can't think straight, and now I know, that the Shadow Queen was only a fraction of this evil that I must face. It's all so frightening!" ,Rosalina collapsed into Bowser's arms as he cradled her, trying to hide his own tears.

"Well, this planet, looks all too easy, this will be a piece of cake!" ,said Ruby as she looked down on the Mushroom World. "Now, now, you heard the count, don't underestimate the people of this world, it's not like our dimension, but they look formidable." ,said Crysallis as she walked in the room over to a mirror. She began to examine herself, applying make-up and trying too hard to look fabulous. "So, girls, our mission is simple, we must locate the eight pure hearts. They are said to exist in people with true purity and love, ha!" ,said Derek as he walked in the room behind Crysallis. "Where is Loretta?" ,he asked. "She said something about trying out a plan she cooked up." ,said Crysallis as she began to apply her lipstick. "Well, since she didn't even bother to run it by me, I hope she can pull it off without a hit!" ,said Derek as he walked off.

Rosalina walked slowly through a dark corridor of the castle. It was so dark, that she could not see herself. Her heart began to beat harder and faster, as she got closer to the door that would ultimately decide her fate. Every step she took reminded her of what had happened, she began to remember how Bowser had to watch his own brother die because of her, and how if Callista, Fax's sister, hadn't risked her life to defend Fax, she would be dead.

Down in north Castle Town, there was a small cosmetics shop that suspiciously just opened. Every girl within town was there since, in honor of the grand opening, they were having free makeovers. "Oh my gosh, let's go Rosalina!" ,said Fax as she dragged Rosalina towards the shop. They were greeted by one of the employees. "Oh goodness me girls, come on in and we'll get you a seat!" ,said the lady as she welcomed them graciously into the shop. "I'll be with you in a moment, in the mean time help yourselves to some of our free perfume samples!" ,she said with a huge smile as she began to walk to the back room. "Everything is ready, and the one with the pure heart is here." ,the lady said as she walked in to talk to Loretta. "Perfect, you know what to do, proceed, but do not fail, I'm counting on you!" ,said Loretta as she sent her minion back out to do the job. Rosalina and Fax sat down at one of the empty tables where they were greeted by two workers. "Well, girls let's get started shall we." ,said one of the ladies as she began to grow a mischievous smile. All of a sudden, all of the girls that were seated, were strapped tight to there chairs with metal bars and the remaining crowd tried to clear out but were stopped by the door and the windows being barred. "Now girls, what's the rush, we were just about to have some fun!" ,shouted the head of the staff as she used her magic powers to force everyone against the walls. "Rosalina, I have a bad feeling about this!" ,shouted Fax. "Really, what made you think that?" ,Rosalina replied sarcastically. The head of staff quickly used her powers to find the one in the room that possessed one of the eight pure hearts. "Ahh yes!" ,she said as she found the correct girl. She quickly extended her arm out and grabbed the girl by the neck. It was then revealed to Fax and Rosalina that the girl was their old friend Crystal, who had went on to pursue her dreams of singing. "Yes, you are the one that possesses the pure heart, and now I will take it from you!" ,shouted the women. "Not on my watch!" ,said Crystal as she used her powers of lighting, shocking the head lady into letting her go. "Supreme Electric Jazz!" ,Crystal shouted as she let out a very powerful electric sonata, attacking the head of staff. She was then blasted back against the wall, in retaliation the rest of the employees went after Crystal, freeing all of the trapped girls. Rosalina and Fax looked at each other in agreement on what to do. "Super Star Acceleration!" "Star Majestic Power!" ,shouted the two as they suited up for battle. The head lady began to try and get up slowly as Rosalina and Fax stepped in to help Crystal stop the crazy staff of this fake cosmetics shop. Everyone was watching the girl warriors fight from the sidelines as the battle raged on. Everything was almost in complete rubble as the girls destroyed the last few creatures. "Take this!" ,said the leader of the group as she raised her hand. Her finger nails then shot out aiming for Rosalina. "Static Freeze!" ,shouted Crystal as she grabbed on to the nails sending a spark of electricity back down to their source, shocking her enough that she could not move. "Now girls quick!" ,shouted Crystal as she let go. Rosalina and Fax looked at each other one more time. They both called forth their scepters, and aimed them at the monster before she could move. "Twin Scepter Elimination!" ,they both shouted as a double blast of energy shot out at the monster reducing her to dust. Loretta watched from behind the door to that back room as her support was terminated. "Well girls that was awesome, but as you have I guess, noticed, I possess one of the eight pure hearts." ,Crystal said as she laid her hands on her chest, then removing them to reveal a light red glowing crystal in the shape of a heart. Rosalina and Fax watched in amazement. "Rosalina, take this, It is one of the pure hearts, the objects that your new enemy wants. Without the pure hearts all of the dimensions, all worlds, would cease to have happiness, without them the world could be and would be plunged into the most horrific darkness imaginable!" ,Crystal said as she began to hand over the heart. Rosalina reached out her hand to grasp it but suddenly it was slapped back. "I'll be taking that!" ,shouted Loretta as she leaped forward, grabbing the pure heart from Crystal's hands. "How nice of you to hand it to me, I thank you from the deepest corner of my heart, oh wait, I don't have a heart!" ,Loretta chuckled as she through a bomb of smoke down, disappearing in it's blinding mist. "Listen Rosalina! I'ts imperative that you find the rest of the hearts and get that one back as soon as possible!" ,Crystal said as she quickly ran off to search for more. "Well, what now?" ,asked Fax. "We go home for now, formulate a plan." ,Rosalina replied as they walked off, and the cosmetics shop evaporated into thin air while all of the other captives fled to go home.

"Bowser, I knew it wasn't over…" ,said Rosalina as she and Bowser stood together in their usual spot out on the deck. "Don't worry, whatever it is, we will fight it together!" ,Bowser replied as he looked down at Rosalina, holding her next to him, as they kissed. "You always do that." ,Rosalina said as she began to laugh. Bowser looked at her funny. "Do what?" ,he asked as Rosalina began to laugh harder. "Oh, just shut up and kiss me again!" ,she said as she grabbed on to his neck and leaned in. "Bowser, this is it, this is our last big fight and then we can be happy, and take on the responsibility of ruling a kingdom, and having a family." ,Rosalina said in a serious tone. "We could take on one of those challenges very soon, ya know!" ,Bowser said. Rosalina gave him a death look, suddenly Bowser started to sweat. "You know what I said, do I have to repeat my self again!" ,Rosalina shouted. "Um, I don't remember what you said…" ,Bowser said as he began to blush. "I told you I will not, ever, have children before I am married and that if you bring it up again, I would…" ,she was then stopped by Mario who walked outside for a bit of fresh air. "Well, how are things going?" ,Mario said with a cheerful smile. Bowser did not say a thing, since he was a little choked up at the moment. Rosalina cleared her throat a bit before replying. "Everything is fine, it's been a great day, despite some minor bumps in the road!" ,she said as she turned and gave Bowser another look. "Well, I have this strange feeling that I came out her at the wrong time, so I'm gonna go inside, bye now." ,he said as he began to walk back inside. Once again Bowser did not say a thing as he held his mouth closed, trying to keep from screaming in pain. Rosalina then walked past him headed for the door. "Try and see if you can sleep tonight with that problem!" ,she said as she walked in the house. Bowser then covered his mouth with his hands and screamed loudly, limping as he walked towards the door.

Rosalina leaped off the side of the north tower as she spread her wings in pursuit of her fallen daughter. "I will save you!" ,she shouted to Elizabeth, who was unconscious. She began to gain more speed but so did Elizabeth. The both began to enter the atmosphere of the planet as Rosalina's eyes began to notice that they were close to falling into castle town. "It won't end like this!" ,Rosalina shouted as the symbol of the Stars lit up on her forehead, she quickly blasted forward fast enough to grab hold of Elizabeth and then tried to wake her up. "Elizabeth, get up, I can't do this without you! Hurry before we lose everything, before we lose our future together!" ,Rosalina shouted at the top of her lungs, trying to get her daughter's attention before it was too late. They began to approach the city as the surrounding area was skyscrapers. Rosalina could see the cars and people clearly as she began to scream louder and louder. "Eliza, hurry, wake up!" Suddenly Elizabeth's eyes began to twitch and open. "Mommy?" ,she said as Rosalina began to smile. "Yes, I'm here, but we can't talk now, we must gather our strength before it's too late!" ,Rosalina said as Elizabeth looked down and realized the current situation. She then closed her eyes as the Star symbol appeared on her forehead. Wings sprouted out from her back to match her mother's as they both held each other tight, encasing themselves in a sphere. They both used their wings to try and catch the air, both struggling as hard as they could until…Rosalina then woke up from her sleep. "Oh my gosh!" ,she said as she turned over with Fax whispering for her to be quiet from across the room.

The next day, Fax went out into the back yard to the garden that she created in honor of her father. She had put together a small fenced in area with two beautifully decorated archways, she had planted different assortments of flowers along the sides of the garden, and in the center area she had planted different fruits and vegetables. Allister drug Titan out of the house to try and make him go over to her. "Titan, if you don't go, then you'll never find out!" ,Allister said as he grabbed hold of Titan's shirt. "I'm too chicken, I can't do it!" ,Titan said as he struggled to get loose. Titan turned and saw Fax as she began to water the plants, his eyes widening and his face becoming reddish and warm. "You've got it bad!" ,Allister said as he chuckled. "You know what, I'm gonna do it!" ,Titan said as Allister let him go. Titan ran off towards the garden as Fax looked up to see him coming. "Go get her kid!" ,Allister said as he walked back inside. Titan noticed Fax looking at him as his running pace began to become slower and slower, until he stopped. Fax looked at him strange as he stood there pretty far in distance from the garden. "Did you want something?" ,Fax hollered. Titan suddenly froze up, for he knew that there was no turning back now. "Well?" ,Fax asked again as she began to get freaked out. "Um, well you see, I…was wondering if, you know…um, if you wanted to go out with me…?" ,he asked as quietly as he could, hoping that she could have heard him, though it wasn't promising. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" ,Fax asked. Titan hesitated for a moment, but finally he walked over inside the garden.

"I wanted…to know if you would go out with me, you see I kinda like you…" ,he said in a choked up tone of voice. "You kinda like me? Why just kinda?" ,she asked as she was trying to get him to talk more. "Not just kinda, but a lot…" ,he replied as he began to sweat. "I see, well truth be told, I kinda like you a lot too." ,she said as she began to laugh. "Really? So will you go out with me?" ,he asked as he began to blush even more, to the point his gray furry face was almost completely blood red. Fax took off her gardening gloves and stood up. "Yes, yes I will." ,she said with a big smile. "Awesome, I mean…sweet babe!" ,he said to her trying to act cool. "Don't do that, ever again…" ,she said as she shook her head and walked off. After she was far enough away, Titan let off a huge sigh of relief and walked off.

"My count, I have something for you!" ,said Loretta as she walked in the room. Count Bleck looked up at her from his arm chair. "Yes, what is it?" ,he asked as she walked closer with his blessing. The other two girls were watching from behind the door as they began to snivel and groan. Loretta opened up her right hand to reveal the red pure heart. Count Bleck stood up in his chair slowly, careful not to show too much excitement. "Is this the only one?" ,he asked her. "Well…yes, but I will find the others soon!" ,Loretta replied as she was shocked that he acted displeased. "Then go, and do not fail me!" ,he said as he sent her off. Loretta turned around and began to have an angry look on her face as she walked back to the meeting room. Loretta slammed her fist into her mirror shattering it into pieces. "Now, now, what's the matter?" ,asked Crysallis as her and Ruby walked in the room. "I just don't understand him, he's never satisfied! I finally found a pure heart and he's not even worried about it!" ,Loretta said as she tried hard to hold in her anger. "Oh, she's just angry because her love is not satisfied with her." ,Derek said as he walked in the room. "That's not true, I don't love him!" ,Loretta shouted as she turned to Derek. "Well if it's hurting you this bad then you'll be pleased to know that I have located another pure heart, it's inside this poor girl who can't get a date." ,Derek said as he pointed to one of the mirrors that revealed the girl. "Well, isn't that sad, leave it to me!" ,Loretta said as she leaped through the mirror. Ruby turned to her sister who was cramming ice cream into her mouth. "What are you doing Crysallis?" ,she asked as she put down her head. "I'm eating." ,she replied. "More like pigging…" ,Derek mumbled in. "What was that!" ,Crysallis shouted. Ruby walked off letting out a big sigh, followed by Derek as Crysallis stood where she was, snacking.

Titan and Allister were watching television, waiting for the girls to finish lunch, when a commercial for a luxury get away came on. "Yes, it's the moment you've all been waiting for. This trip for two is for one lucky couple just waiting to get away. Here at the Deluxe Lori Hotel and Spa, you'll get a fantastic three night stay, plus free passes to use the spa, which includes: massages, mud baths, saunas, hot tubs, and even a special new relaxation chamber, exclusively for this hotel. You will also receive passes to our dinner shows, plus much more. So please, enter at our website that is shown on the screen!" Titan looked at Allister with excitement. "That's it, I'll enter this contest and win for Fax!" ,Titan said as he rushed for the computer. In a quick few seconds Titan had sent in his contest form. "This isn't gonna work out!" ,Allister said as he walked over to the computer. In an instant the phone rang. Titan quickly grabbed it and answered. "Hello?" "Congratulations, you've won!" ,said the voice on the other end. "Really!" ,Titan shouted. "Yes, come to the Hotel down town now and pick up your tickets, give me your name and number, so I can identify you when you get here." ,said the person. "My name is Titan Everson, and my number is…"

Everyone was lined up outside the very large, very new hotel, waiting to get in to their rooms. "Oh Titan, I can't wait, this is so exciting." ,Fax said as she squeezed Titan's arm tightly. "I know, I'm excited too." ,he said as the line began to move. Up on the roof watched Loretta giggling at the sight of the crowd. "Haha, look at those hopeless fools, this is almost too easy!" ,she said as she continued to watch. "Come forth, Manager!" ,she shouted as the manager of the hotel appeared. "Yes madame?" ,he said. "Make sure the pure heart is found quickly, before those foolish star kids come!" ,Loretta said as she left.

Titan and Fax finally made inside the hotel as the line progressed, it was huge looking even on the inside in the main lobby. There was a very large chandelier hanging in the center of the room with several small ones lined side-by-side with it. There were beautifully decorated gold arch-ways and pillars, very fancy furniture and carpets, every one of the staff members were dressed in the most formal uniforms. "Oh Titan, I knew this was a good idea!" ,said Fax as she looked up at him, he smiled back and before they knew it they were at the front desk. "Hello, and welcome to the Deluxe Lori Hotel, may I have your name and number to identify you please?" ,said the manager from behind the front desk. Titan pulled out his and Fax's tickets that had there information on them. "Ah, I see, very well, I shall have a bellhop attend to your bags, here is your room key." ,said the manager as he handed the key to Titan and waived for the nearest bellhop.

"Room number 237, right here!" ,said the bellhop after they arrived. "Thank you kind sir!" ,said Fax as she used the card key and entered the room. Titan took hold of the trolley that had the bags and entered the room as the bellhop took the elevator back down to the lobby. Fax threw herself onto one of the beds, claiming it for her own as Titan took all of the luggage off the trolley. "According to the schedule, there is a dinner show tonight Titan!" ,said Fax as she looked at the paper they received for their stay. "You wanna go don't you?" ,he asked. "Yes, most definitely, especially since there is dancing!" ,Fax said in a tone of excitement. Titan walked over to Fax and pulled her off the bed, holding her waist. "Well, why don't we practice a little, we have nothing else to do for now!" ,he said in a very enticing manor as they danced for a pretty long while.

"Madame, the show starts in one hour!" ,said the manager. "Perfect…like I said before, I don't care what you do or how you do it, just get it done!" ,Loretta shouted as she walked off towards the spa. "Well…" ,said the manager as he walked off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's get with it!" ,shouted the DJ as everyone began to step out into the dance floor. It was a very crazy night, the banquet hall was filled with all sorts of people, from teenagers, to elderly people, to even celebrities. Fax and Titan were the main hit though, for many people stopped to watch them dance. Fax was born in a family of professional dancers, while Titan took many dancing lessons in his younger years. The crowd cheered as they danced across the entire floor, finally the music was cut off and the hostess came onto the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, please find your way to your seats, so we can begin." ,said Loretta as the manager walked up beside her. Everyone began to quiet down as they sat at their respective tables to watch the show. "Now to start off we are going to have a little magic show, may we have a volunteer?" ,Loretta spoke into the microphone as many people raised their hands. The manager searched for the one with the pure heart and finally it was revealed, he picked him out from the audience, even though he did not raise his hand. He walked up onto the stage in fear because of his stage fright. "Now, will you please close your eyes?" ,the manager asked as the man closed his eyes. "What are you gonna do?" ,the man asked. "Nothing really, I just want to look at your heart!" ,said the manager as he transformed into a monster in a very ridiculous costume made up of hearts and charms, his hair spiked up, and his face painted purple. He took his hand and reached down in the man's body, pulling out the orange pure heart from within him and casting the man to the side of the stage. "Oh no, I knew this was a bad idea!" ,Fax said as she got up from her chair. "What?" ,Titan said as he leaped out of his. Everyone was rushing around the room trying to get out as Loretta levitated herself up to the ceiling. "What are you all doing, sit down!" ,she demanded as everyone was pulled back to their seat by a strange gravitational force. "Now Titan!" ,Fax said as she looked at him. "Super Star Acceleration!" ,shouted the both of them as they reappeared in their suits. "I don't think so!" ,shouted Titan as he threw one of his sabers at the monsters hand that was holding the pure heart, slicing it off. The pure heart fell to the floor untouched as the battle raged on. Fax went after Loretta, the both of them dodging each others attacks. "Is that all you got?" ,Loretta shouted as she backhanded Fax across the face. Fax try to dodge it, but she was unsuccessful. "How dare you, you bitch!" ,she shouted as she punched Loretta in the stomach. Loretta's gut sucked in so far that blood gushed out of her mouth. "You'll pay for that!" ,Loretta said as she disappeared. Fax looked around to try and find her but she was nowhere to be found, until she appeared right behind her. Fax turned her head only to be punched. She fell to the floor, creating a huge gap in the marble tile. "Fax!" ,Titan hollered as he looked at where she fell to, he could not do anything though for he was to busy trying to shield himself from the thief of hearts. The whole time, the pure heart lay on the floor of the stage.

Until someone came in and picked it up. "That's enough!" ,shouted Rosalina who had come in to save the day. Everyone turned and looked at her as she leaped up to Loretta and threw her against the wall. She then pointed her scepter at the monster, showing no hesitation as Fax pulled out her scepter and pointed it. "Twin Scepter Elimination!" ,they both shouted as the monster was destroyed, leaving behind a deafening screech. "No! You may have won this time, but it will be that last time!" ,Loretta shouted as she left the scene.

"Well I guess that's it for our fun, huh Titan?" ,Fax asked as the hotel disappeared without a trace. "Not necessarily!" ,Rosalina said as both Titan and Fax looked at her confused. Rosalina pointed her scepter at the both of them. "What the heck?" ,Fax shouted as the atmosphere changed to a darkly lit room filled with lovely music. "This is a gift from me to you, have fun girl!" ,Rosalina said as she disappeared. Titan was then magically redressed in a dark blue tuxedo, and Fax was dressed in a lovely blue and white gown. "May I have this dance?" ,Titan asked as he extended his arm out to the beautiful young maiden. She took his hand and nodded her head. "Yes, you may!" ,said Fax as the two of them danced the night away…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6*Secret Romance*

"You have disappointed me…" ,Count Bleck said in a quiet, and calm tone from his chair up at the top of the stairs. "Yes, I know my count, but if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, I…" ,Loretta was stopped by the counts hand gesture. "I know…that you have feelings for me Loretta, but it cannot be…" ,he said with a smirk on his face. "But…but I…." ,she was stopped once again. "But, you cannot ever hope to win my heart, and since your passion for me is blinding you from your true purpose, then I have no choice…" ,he said to a broken down Loretta. "What do you mean by that?" ,she asked in tears. Crysallis and Ruby were once again watching from behind the door. "I mean, that I no longer have use for you…" ,Count Bleck said as he snapped his fingers. A thin wall appeared up behind Loretta as she was chained to it. "Let me go, I am the one for you, my…my…blu…" ,she was silenced forever as she was drug deep down under the floor. Count Bleck then got up and walked to the room behind his chair. "Wow, that was cold!" ,said Crysallis as her and Ruby walked back over to their stations. "Yeah, I mean, I knew the girl was nuts but she was practically putting her heart out on a silver platter for him, and he completely mutilated it!" ,said Ruby as Derek entered the room. "Enough chatter, we have a job to do!" ,shouted Derek in frustration. "What is it?" ,Ruby asked. "You know very well! Since that fool Loretta let a pure heart out of her hands, the count is furious, we have to get it back, plus find the next six." ,said Derek. "Leave it to us Derek!" ,said the two sister's as they departed for work. "Wow, these girls are so easy to manipulate, they're like putty in my hands haha!" ,Derek laughed as he walked off.

Rosalina took the sword up to the pedestal and after a deep breadth, she stabbed it into the slot on the stone pedestal. Suddenly a beam of light shot up as a large storm of wind blew into the room, everyone was trying to hold on for their life as Rosalina stood there not budging, her dress flying in the wind as she held on to the sword. A large portal then opened up, revealing a passageway into the Dark Sanctuary, the place that Rosalina had to go to. Rosalina and the group then walked into the passageway, leaving the sword behind to keep the portal open. Rosalina then woke up, broke out in another sweat as she lay there wondering why this was happening to her, and what was about to happen.

The next day at the park were Titan and Fax, sitting on a blanket eating a snack as they watched the ducks swim across the pond. "Isn't this great?" ,asked Fax as she looked over at Titan. "Yes, yes it is!" ,Titan replied as he looked over at Fax. The two of them gently glided their hands over to the other and grasped on to each other. Suddenly Qase and Rick walked up to them. "Hey bro, I'm ready to go home!" ,Qase said to Titan who was not interested in the least about his brother's complaining. "Sorry, but I'm not, and since I'm the driver who's seventeen, and you're the kid who's twelve, that makes my decision final." ,Titan replied sarcastically. Qase began to swell up in anger as Rick tried to calm him down. "Well, if you don't want me telling Fax what happens at night, then I guess you will get off your fat butt and take me home!" ,said Qase. Suddenly Fax took her hand away and looked at Titan funny. "What…happens?" ,she asked in fear that she made a bad decision to ask. "He…well let's just say…he sleeps very heavy…" ,said Qase as everything got very silent. "Way to go, you managed to make it very awkward!" ,whispered Rick. "I don't care, it's what he gets!" ,said an overconfident Qase. Titan's face began to grow red and steamy as Fax began to giggle. "I am so get you!" ,he shouted as he began to chase after Qase. Rick and Fax both began to laugh as they watched Qase run in fear from Titan, who showed no sign of stopping. Suddenly, Fax stood up and motioned for both of them to come to her. Following orders like good pups, they came right over. "You know what, I think I'm ready to go home too." ,Fax said to Titan. "Um, if you want to then ok…" ,Titan said as he packed up the stuff and walked over to the car. Fax winked at the boys and they followed him back.

Back at the house, Rosalina and Crystal were out in the yard practicing some of their battle techniques. "Supreme Electric Jazz" ,shouted Crystal as she shot a down one of the targets that Luigi had built for them to use. "Luigi, throw me another one!" ,Crystal shouted as she was trying to catch her breadth. "Comin' right up!" ,Luigi said as he threw another one in the air. "This one's mine Crystal!" ,shouted Rosalina as she aimed her scepter at the target. "Star Scepter Blast!" Instantly the Target was destroyed, then Luigi tossed another one up, and before either of the girls could even attempt to strike it someone came into the yard. "Lovely arrow!" ,shouted the person from behind Crystal and Rosalina, as a golden arrow shot down the target. The girls along with Luigi, turned to see who it was.

The person that struck down the target was Pauline one of the original Super Mushroom Girls. "Well, how ya doin?" ,she said as she ran over to where Crystal and Rosalina were standing. "Pauline! We're doing awesome!" ,said Crystal as the girls gathered in close for a group hug. "Now three of the girls are reunited." ,said Luigi. "Not just three!" ,shouted yet another voice in the distance. "Oh yeah, brought along two other friends!" ,Pauline said as everyone turned and looked. Rosalina began to tear up in excitement as Daisy and Peach walked up. "Daisy!" ,Rosalina shouted as she ran over and hugged her. "Hey, what about me?" ,Peach asked. "You live here girl!" ,said Rosalina as she began to laugh. "I know, I was just jokin!" ,Peach replied. "Let's all go in and we can catch up!" ,said Luigi as everyone followed him inside to chat.

"Truth be told, we're not exactly here just for a friendly visit." ,said Pauline as everyone sat on the couches in the living room. "What's going on?" ,Fax asked. Rosalina had an expression on her face as if she knew what they were about to say. "The time for the ultimate fight between good and evil is coming close…" ,said Paulina. "Rosalina, these dreams and visions, that is what's going to happen." ,said Daisy. Rosalina shuttered to think about it for she saw things in her dreams that no one else knew about, not even Bowser. "The pure hearts are the key to unlocking your destiny." ,Pauline added. "Yes, and the one man that is trying to retrieve them is dangerous!" ,said Timpani as she walked in along with Birdy, Toadette, and Haylee. "Sorry for our intrusion, but I knew it was time for the truth." ,Timpani continued. "Who is he?" ,asked Fax as everyone turned to Timpani for news. "He…is someone that I know, and hold very close to my heart. His name is…Count Bleck…" ,Timpani began to choke on her words, not daring to say his true name in sadness. "Count Bleck?" ,Fax said in a confused tone. "Yes, we were once in love, but because of certain…circumstances, we were separated and now for some reason, he has lost his senses." ,said Timpani as they all continued to talk.

Count Bleck stood out on the balcony behind his room. The air was cold, the atmosphere was dark, nothing could be heard but the sounds of the moaning souls of those who had fallen victim to the darkness. He stroked his hand against the banisters that kept anyone from falling off the balcony, staring on into blank space. "What have I to live for?" ,he asked himself quietly as he looked into the vast void in front of his castle. "My prince, you have power, that is what you live for…" ,said someone standing behind the count. Count Bleck turned himself around to see a cloaked man floating behind him, carrying a wooden staff with an orb attached to the end of it. "Elder, what is it that you want?" ,said Count Bleck as he turned back around. "I merely am pondering whether it was smart to trust Derek and his…childish allies, to find the pure hearts." ,said the Elder as he took his staff and stroked the orb on its top. "It was my direct order, do you question me?" ,asked Count Bleck in a harshed tone. "No, your majesty, of course not I merely feel like Derek can not handle this task. We need the pure hearts to be able to awaken the Chaos Heart." ,said the Elder. "Then it shall be done, but we will do it my way, and for now I trust my brother to do it!" ,Count Bleck said as he motioned the Elder to leave him. "Soon this world will face the rot and decay that it deserves, the decay that it left in my heart, after it took her from me…" ,he said as he walked off.

Rosalina fell to her knees as she picked him up and lay him on her lap, her tears fell onto his face as she stroked his hair with her hand. Everyone watched in silence as she collapsed on his body, Fax ran over and picked her up as she held her close in her arms. "No…no…no…" ,Rosalina could only say one thing repeatedly as she continued to brush his hair back and forth. Fax began to cry hard as she hugged Rosalina as hard as she could. She knew this day would come, she just didn't want to believe it until the end. Everyone stood back behind them in tears, even the boys were sobbing over their fallen friend. Rosalina then appeared at the sight of the graveyard after her mother's death. The six year old girl stood in front of her mother's casket, dormant, cold, no emotion on her face. Then walked up her father, taking her hand and turning her head, making sure she didn't look back, they walked to her brother and they all went home. Then Rosalina appeared at the house, packing a new outfit, her transformation brooch, and her wand; as she walked out of the house, everyone was asleep for this was how she planned it. She then turned to the house, knowing she would never return as she turned back around and continued to walk away, not turning back. Rosalina then woke up on the couch as Fax walked in the room. "Did I fall asleep?" ,she asked as Fax walked over to her. "Yes, you were sleeping so good that we thought, we would let you stay that way, you needed your rest…" ,Fax said as she walked back into the other room in awkward silence.

Derek flew back towards the mansion in high speed, to carry a message to the count. He burst through the doors as quickly as possibly, rushing up the several flights of stairs, walking through several hallways, until finally making it to the balcony door. "Brother!" ,shouted Derek as he marched over to the count. "What is it?" ,he asked, not showing any sign of even turning around to greet his brother. "First off, the girls are reforming, every one of them, and secondly, how could you destroy one of my…best worker!" ,asked Derek as he began to grow even angrier. Count Bleck was silent for a moment, showing no interest in talking to his brother. "As I recall, you did not like her anyway, stating that you could care less for her life…" ,he said in a quiet tone. "It doesn't matter, she worked for me, it was my decision to make!" ,shouted Derek. "Silence! May I remind you, you work for me, so I call the shots, now away with you!" ,Count Bleck shouted as Derek stormed off in anger.

"Well, sister, should we begin?" ,said Crysallis as she looked at Ruby. "Yes, I think the quicker we get this done, the happier the count will be!" ,said Ruby as she turned the closed sign to open in front of the door. The two evil sisters had opened a restaurant as their plan to search for pure hearts. They had waited for hours and hours, customer after customer, until Ruby felt a powerful presence. A man had walked into the restaurant to grab a bite before heading off to a photo shoot. He didn't look like the type of man to possess a pure heart, but never the less, he was the next target. "Sister, here he is!" ,said Crystallis as she leaned up to go get him. "Not yet! Let him get some food first, for I have devised a potion that was placed in all of our ingredients, which will make everyone who eats it pass out, allowing us to do this without being noticed. "Excellent work, I'll just go take his order then." ,said Crysallis as she walked over to the man's table. "May I take your order?" ,she said as he looked up at her. "Um, yes I'll have the Caesar salad please!" ,he said as he folded the menu and gave it to her. "Right away!" ,she said as she turned and walked to the back of the room. "Hook, line, and sinker!" ,she chuckled as she walked past her sister to a plate that had suspiciously, what the man ordered. She then walked back out and handed him the plate and walked back to the front counter. Her and Ruby watched as everyone ate their meals, waiting for the potion to kick in as they giggled to themselves. Suddenly, people began to become ill as they dropped to the floor.

Rosalina, Titan, Fax, and Peach were walking down town when Fax spotted the restaurant. "Oh, come on guys, we've never eaten there before, besides I'm hungry!" ,she said as everyone followed in agreement. "Crysallis get the door and the windows, I'll get the lights!" ,demanded Ruby as she flipped the light switch. Fax and the others walked up to the door just as Crysallis opened it to flip the sign. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry dear, we're now closed." ,Crysallis said. Rosalina looked in the window and noticed all of the people passed out, and also noticed Ruby, who was holding the yellow pure heart. "Guys, this isn't a restaurant!" ,she said as she pointed towards the window. "What are you talking about, yes it is, now beat it kid!" ,Crysallis said as she slammed the door shut and used her magic to lock it and close the windows up. "Great it looks like we have some work to do guys!" ,said Fax as she held out her wrist watch arm. "Super Star Acceleration!" "Star Majestic Power!" ,screamed the team as Rosalina then kicked down the door and everyone ran in. Rosalina made no pause as she instantly ran and grabbed the pure heart from Ruby. "What, enough of this, poison army charge!" ,she shouted as every one of the customers rose to their feet to fight off the squad and Rosalina. "Sweet and Gentle Lullaby!" ,shouted Peach as her and Bowser entered the room, all of the customers once again collapsed into a deep sleep. "If you think, for one second we have given up, then think again, let's get 'em sister!" ,shouted Ruby as her and Crysallis drew out their wands.

They fired blast after blast as the squad defended themselves and retaliated. It was a long battle, and the sister's showed no sign of losing energy. "Man, these girls are tuff!" ,Rosalina shouted as she continued to fight. "I think I figured it out, they are using each other, if we were to separate them then we could take them down!" ,shouted Bowser as he ran after Ruby, pushing her all the way into the back room. "Ooh! You're strong!" ,she said seductively, trying to sway Bowser's focus. "Don't even think about it!" ,Bowser shouted as the two of them engaged in combat. The fight outside with Crysallis was getting even harder as everyone began to wear down. "We can't possibly win, we need to just take the heart and bail!" ,Peach hollered as she tried to catch her breadth from behind a table. "You fools, Ruby and I may have been stronger together, but there is no chance you can beat me, have you not figured it out?" ,Crysallis said as she began to laugh. "What are you talking about!" ,Rosalina asked. "I am Ruby and Crysallis…combined! That person back there that Bowser is fighting is just a fake that I created, a fake that can't be destroyed, so he will fight until he is completely drained!" ,Crysallis laughed.

Everyone stopped moving in fear that they had lost the battle, while Bowser was in the back fighting for his life against a clone. "Is that all you got boy?" ,the clone said as she punched him right in the mouth. He fell back onto the ground, dripping in sweat and blood, trying to catch his breadth as he dodged her constant kicks and stomps across the small room. "This can't be over!" ,shouted Peach. "Hurricane Wind!" A blast from of wind a light shot through the building knocking Crysallins down. "It isn't!" ,hollered Birdy as her and Toadette walked in the room. "It's time to end your game!" ,Birdy shouted as Toadette prepared to attack. "Deep Ocean Awakening!" ,she yelled as a wave of sea water flew in and blasted Crysallis back some more. "Now Rosalina!" ,Birdy said as she turned and looked at the group. Rosalina and Fax both stood up and prepared to use the new power up that was given to them by Claire. "Star Ultimate Power!" ,shouted the both of them as they were transformed into their Elite suits. They raised their new Star Blazer scepters to point directly at their foe. "Star Blazer Attack!" ,they both shouted as a blast of energy shot out and hit Crysallis, completely engulfing her, leaving nothing behind. The clone that Bowser was fighting then disappeared and Bowser walked back into the other room. Rosalina ran over to help him stand up, as she walked him back over to the group. "Well that was fun…" ,Fax said sarcastically. "Take care of yourselves!" ,Toadette said as she followed Birdy, who had shown no sign of stopping to chat. Rosalina passed Bowser on to Titan as she held up the third pure heart. "Well, at least we have two of the three now!" ,she said trying to look on the bright side as everyone walked off to go home. "Let's just order some pizza!" ,said Fax as she walked onward. "I'm with ya on that!" ,Peach chimed in.

"Grrrrrrrr…this is not possible!" ,shouted Derek as he blasted one of the mirrors with a powerful force of dark magic. "HAHAHA! Well, so much for composure, eh Derek?" ,giggled Jewels as she appeared behind Derek. He turned around quickly as he unclenched his fists. "Jewels, what are you doing here?" ,he asked in a somewhat honored fashion. "Believe me, I wouldn't be if I didn't have to deliver a message to you. You see, the Count is very disappointed in you, and you have one more chance to prove yourself or I take the job. And you'll be interested in knowing that he no longer wants you in the club!" ,Jewels said as Derek grew angry again. "The count wouldn't abandon his own brother!" ,he shouted as he began to sweat in fear. "What, you don't believe me? Well I suppose you can ask him yourself, now I wonder what could have made him want to betray you…Could it be because you have only secured one pure heart, or it might be because you lost those girls, hey, you don't suppose it's because you've been a complete failure from start to finish!" ,Jewels giggled as she turned around and took a step. "Well, I…" ,Jewels stopped Derek in his tracks. "You have a full…twenty-four hours to take back the pure heart you lost, and destroy those meddlesome fools before I take the job. Now I have to leave, good luck, hate to see what the count has planned for you!" ,she chuckle as she disappeared into the darkness. "NOOO! I have twenty-four hours to prove myself to my brother, and this time I won't fail!" ,Derek shouted as he walked off.

"My Count, I have disturbing news…" ,Jewels said as she walked up to the count. "What is it?" ,he asked. "Your brother…has…lost his life." ,Jewels said as she pretended to cry. Count Bleck looked down for a moment then quickly looked back up at Jewels. "Fine, then it's your turn, do your best to succeed though, I don't want anymore failure!" ,Count Bleck said as he walked away. Jewels chuckled silently as she looked behind her at a button she was holding in her right hand, as she pressed down on it she laughed even more. Derek was walking down the hallway of the ship he was living in, in space. Suddenly without even a chance to think, the space ship exploded into nothing. Jewels, knowing that she had lost her competition, laughed maniacally as she walked down the steps and looked at the giant computer screen in the room. Looking at a picture of Rosalina, she smiled. "You're going to lose." ,she chuckled as she felt a cold chill. "Well, I didn't know you had it in you, Jewels!" ,said a man with a jester outfit and a black and white mask on. She quickly turned around as she smirked. "Dimentio, what's it to you!" ,she asked sarcastically as she created a glass of whine in her hand. "Tsk, tsk…how could you destroy the counts brother and then lie to his face?" ,he countered sarcastically. "Don't play your stupid games with me Dimentio, you'll lose every time…" ,she said as she walked off in laughter. "Well, in the end of the game I guess we'll truly see the loser." ,Dimentio said as he too walked off.

"Oh, ouch!" ,said Timpani as she fell to the ground in pain. She had no idea where she was, only that it was a lonely beach, she struggled in the dark to find a comfortable spot to lay. Suddenly a young man wearing a suit with a cape attached, appeared in front of her. She looked up at him in fear that he would hurt her. "Wha…what…do you…want?" ,she stuttered. "Are you ok?" ,he asked in a soft gentle tone as he leaned down to try and help her up. "Unhand me!" ,she shouted as she struggled. He let go and stepped back for a moment. "But, your hurt, I can't just leave you here." ,he said as she looked at him. She continued to think in her head about how her father had told her to never talk to anyone from the tribe of darkness, and he appeared to be from that tribe. "You…your…from the tribe of darkness aren't you?" ,she asked as she sat up in the sand. "Yes, yes I am." ,he replied as he sat beside her. "I am of the tribe of light, my name is Lady Timpani." ,she said as she began to form a smile in relief, and also a frown of confusion, for she did not understand why a person from the tribe that was against hers was so nice. "My name is Blumiere." ,he replied as he turned and smiled back at her. "Well…Blumiere…thank you for attempting to help me…" ,Timpani mumbled as she turned her head. "Oh, your welcome! By the way how did you get injured so much?" ,he asked as he looked out across the ocean waves rushing in on the banks of the sand. "It's sort of a long story…" ,Timpani said trying to end the conversation before it began. "I've got time…" ,Blumiere said in persistence.

Count Bleck stared out into the vast void from the balcony remembered certain things that happened, shaking his head in anger, confusion, and sadness. "My count, umm, it is time to look in the Dark Prognosticus!" ,said Nastasia, Count Bleck's attendant. "Very well, bring It to me, now!" ,he demanded as Nastasia walked closer, holding the spell book in hand. She gave it to him as he held it up in the air. "Speak to me Dark Prognosticus, reveal your dark secrets!" ,he shouted as a burst of dark magic shot out of the book and it flipped to a new page that he had not read yet.

"I knew him, but the memory is still hard to grasp at times…" ,Timpani said to Rosalina as they sat on the couch sipping their coffee. "Do you have any idea why he wants the pure hearts?" ,Rosalina asked. "No, not at all. I don't even truly remember what happened to us, I just remember that I love him, and one day I woke up dying out on a beach, when Merlon found me and told me I was destined to help save the world." ,Timpani said, trying to conceal her tears. Rosalina then decided that it was time to stop asking questions as she gave Timpani a hug. "Don't worry, we will do what we can, maybe we can help him change, but first we need the pure hearts." ,Rosalina said trying to comfort her.

"Well, this is a dump!" ,said Jewels as she walked through a room in an abandoned apartment complex. She searched and searched for the pure heart that she sensed inside, but she could not find it. Finally she came to one of the back rooms and saw a bright green glow , coming from under a broken down bed. She crept into the room, careful to watch her footing, for the room was pretty old and falling apart. Finally she found it. "Aha!" ,she whispered in excitement, for she found the green pure heart, the fourth of the eight. She was happy that now the bad guys had two, now the bad guys and the good guys were tied. She picked it up and warped out of the old building. She reappeared at the mansion, holding the heart in hand, and walking past Dimentio as he watched in somewhat dissatisfaction, while Jewels was happy as can be. "My count!" ,she said in a soft slow voice. The count did not turn around even for a second as he gazed on at a picture of Rosalina. "What is it?" ,he said without any emotion. "Here, take my heart!" ,Jewels giggled as she tossed the pure heart over to him, catching it in hand he examined it to make sure it was real and then hid it under his large white cape. "You called my count?" ,Dimentio piped up as he walked closer into the room. "Yes, this next task, is yours!" ,Count Bleck said as he gazed on at Rosalina's picture. "What! I thought I was supposed to find the pure hearts!" ,Jewels said in anger. Count Bleck smirked in pleasure of her revealing her true nature. "Got to let everyone have a chance…" ,he said. "Yes Jewels, we have to play nicely!" ,Dimentio said sarcastically. Jewels looked at him in anger, and the mask that he wore, showing a black and white smiling face, provoked her anger even more. "Hey I wanna join in!" ,said O'Chunks as he bounced into the room. "Late as usual, fat head!" ,Jewels said. O'Chunks could not say anything. "Why on earth do you think Count Bleck would send you? You have more muscle than brains!" ,Jewels ranted on. "That's enough!" ,said Count Bleck as he motioned for everyone to leave him alone. All three of them left the room as Count Bleck hung his head in disappointment. Jewels paced around the hallway of the main corridor of the mansion, trying to compose herself as Dimentio walked in.

"What's wrong Jewels?" ,Dimentio asked though he did not truly care. "What's wrong you ask, what's wrong? I'm pissed, that's what's wrong!" ,she shouted as she walked off. Dimentio did not bother to follow, for he had better things to do than listen to her.

Timpani and Blumiere sat together under the moonlight on the beach once more, sharing stories and dreams. "Look Timpani, a shooting star, make a wish!" ,Blumiere said in excitement as he closed his eyes to wish. He then opened them and looked at her in confusion. "Aren't you going to wish for something?" ,he asked. She turned and looked at him as she scooted closer. "I don't need to wish for anything, I have it all right here!" ,she said as they both continued to gaze at the stars. On his balcony, Count Bleck began to smile, but that smile began to quickly turn into a frown as he grew sad about losing his love. "My count, I have information to give you!" ,said the Elder as he warped out onto the balcony. Count Bleck grew an angry face, as the Elder interrupted his thinking time. "What is it, you old coot!" ,he asked in a harsh tone. The Elder stroked the orb on his rod as his dark, unseen eyes gazed upon it. "I have foreseen, that the girl you once loved has returned!" ,he said. Count Bleck lifted his head, his eyes widened as far as they could, and suddenly tears formed rolling down his face. "She…she's dead Elder, how dare you bring her up!" ,he said as the Elder continued to stroke the orb. "But this is false, and there is more, she will be an important part in the fate of our cause, she could completely blow our mission, she has to be eliminated before it's too late!" ,he said. "Quiet old fool!" ,Count Bleck shouted, as he turned to the Elder. "I see, your love for her still exists, beware of these emotions my prince, they could be your down fall!" ,he said as he warped away. Count Bleck turned back around and looked back out on the dark landscape of nothingness, tears continuing to roll down his face. "It can't be possible, she is gone…forever…" ,he whispered as he disappeared into the darkness…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7*Pure and Impure*

"Well, we have some bad news." ,said Rick as him and Qase held their heads down in front of the group. "What is it, spit it out!" ,Peach demanded. "Well, it appears that yesterday evening a pure heart was found, and it was taken…by the enemy…" ,Qase replied as the group began to talk amongst themselves.

Dimentio and Nastasia walked down the hall as they conversed with each other. All of a sudden they heard a noise, it sounded like talking. They then began to see glowing come from one of the rooms down near the end of the hallway as they ran toward it. They got as close as they could, being as quiet as possible trying to listen to the talker. "Darkness, sweet darkness…soon this world will be submitted into complete darkness. The creator of all has commanded me to complete such a glorious mission. No one, not even that foolish child Bleck, will be able to stop the inevitable, bring on the darkness, all will be silenced under the power of the King of Death!" ,whispered the Elder as he watched in his orb at the world he was so anxious to destroy. Suddenly Dimentio and Nastasia ran as fast as they could to tell the count. They made it into the count's chamber, barging through the door as the count looked up to see them. "My count, we have disturbing news!" ,said Dimentio. "What is it?" ,Count Bleck asked. "It appears that the Elder is planning on betraying you, he doesn't want to take over this world, he wants to destroy it and everyone, including us!" ,Nastasia said. "Nastasia, I will hear no more of this, leave me, both of you!" ,Count Bleck said as he pointed towards the door.

Jewels appeared in front of yet another pure heart inside an abandoned mine. This one was light blue, and glowed in a beautiful aura. "Yes, this is too easy!" ,she giggled as she stepped out of the way while Titan jumped down to strike her with his blades. Titan then stepped back with the pure heart as Fax and Peach joined him. "Did you honestly think I would fall for something like that?" ,Jewels laughed as she tried to think of a plan. Suddenly the Elder appeared behind a large rock. "I will use my powers to help." ,he whispered without anyone noticing his presence. He then let out a blast of energy that hit Jewels. Jewels then closed and opened her eyes, they were solid black for she had been possessed by the Elder. "What's going on?" ,Peach asked in fear as the team walked backwards. Jewels walked up to Titan in high speed and grabbed him by the neck. He took both of his daggers as he was struggling to breathe and he slashed threw her body, but it failed for the blades went like through her as if she was smoke. She then threw him aside and walked slowly towards the girls. "Take this freak!" ,Peach shouted as she through out an energy blast which Jewels dodged without any problem. Peach continued to fire energy blasts as her and Fax continued to back up, but Jewels was not affected. "Fax, go help Titan, I'll handle her!" ,Peach said as she formed wings and took off out of the mine. Fax ran over to Titan who struggled to get up. "Take the pure heart and take it to Rosalina, I'll help Peach!" ,he said without letting Fax say anything, she then took the heart and warped out as Titan got up and ran towards the fight outside. Peach flew around the area trying to get away from Jewels, but she could fly almost as fast as Peach. They flew across a large lake, under many archways made of stone, threw many trees, but every time Peach could not shake her off. It was then that the Elder realized that the heart was gone, so he let off his grip of Jewels and left. Titan managed to see them flying as Jewels suddenly stopped, gaining consciousness enough that she tried to go after Peach again, Titan charged up one of his blades as he tried to lock onto her. Jewels let out of force of energy that struck Peach. Jewels now had control of her movement as she made Peach fall to the ground. After Peach had plummeted and blasted into the hard rock, Jewels landed softly and levitated Peach over to the lake. Peach tried to struggle but she could not pull away. She was merely seconds away from being dropped in the very deep lake, when Titan got aim enough to throw one of his swords. It flew towards Jewels but she dodged it, letting go of Peach who landed right on the bank of the lake. Jewels then ran towards Titan carrying his blade. "I clearly did not think that through!" ,he said as he took his other blade and prepared himself. They engaged in combat, Titan swung as Jewels swung, Titan ducked as Jewels ducked. Jewels punched Titan in the stomach, knocking him down to the ground. Jewels was about to deliver the finishing blow when Rosalina drop kicked Jewels, knocking her over. "Don't ever try that again" ,she said as she went to slam her fist into Jewels face. Jewels rolled over enough that Rosalina ended up slamming her fist into the rock hard ground, but Jewels knew that even though she was still alive, she had lost. So she took a few steps back, looking each way that she was cornered. "It's too late, you've lost!" ,Rosalina said as her, Titan, and Peach walked closer to Jewels. She then warped away in anger and fear.

"Well, now we have two!" ,Peach said as her and Titan stood there watching the lake. "Yeah, and I have a feeling things are gonna get a lot harder!" ,Titan replied as they both warped back home. When they arrived at home, they found that everyone was standing outside. "What's going on!" ,Titan asked as him and Peach rushed over to the group. In the center of the group, was Rosalina who was sitting on the ground with Bowser, cradling a baby in her arms. "What!" ,Peach shouted. "I found her, laying here in the grass, how could someone do such a thing!" ,Rosalina said as she began to tear up. Bowser held on to both as he began to tear up as well. "Well, we can take care of her together!" ,he said in a soft tone as he rubbed her cheek with his hand. "We will." ,Rosalina stated as she rocked the sleeping baby. "We all will!" ,Peach piped up as she stood forward, everyone in agreement.

Rosalina awoke in a brightly lit room, the floor and the walls were as white as snow. There was nothing in the room other than herself until a figure walked up to her. "Rosalina! My beautiful daughter!" ,said her mom, who welcomed her with open arms. "Mommy!" ,Rosalina said in some what of a childish tone as she grew weak in the knees, and her eyes began to flood with tears. Her mom came closer but would not touch her, for she was only a figment of Rosalina's thoughts and dreams. "Mom…I don't understand…how…why!" ,Rosalina asked all at once, being choked on her words and her tears. "Be still my daughter, I have come to tell you not to be worried about your friends or this child that you now have. They will all be safe, but the day will come when you have to leave them behind…" ,Lucinda looked down at the white floor as she stopped talking. "But…why do I have to leave them behind?" ,Rosalina said as she tried to come closer. "It is your destiny, the one you have been fighting all this time will show their face to you soon, do not be afraid, I am with you always!" ,Lucinda said as she began to disappear. Rosalina screamed for her, even trying to grab onto her, but suddenly she woke up from her sleep. Rosalina then sat up in her bed, watching Fax who was over in her bed, fast asleep. "What is happening to me?" ,she whispered to herself. She then laid back down, covered herself, and closed her eyes, hoping not to have another dream.

"Bowser…Bowser no, don't go over there!" ,Titan yelled as he tried to restrain his friend from going over to the body that lay at the front of the room. "No…" ,he mumbled as he realized who it was. He quickly pushed his bloody, injured friend aside as he ran towards the victim. There she lay, Rosalina, her eyes glazed and vacant. Her body pale and fragile, her hair lacking that glow that it had alive. Bowser tried to pick her up, but he was too weak to even stand back up himself after falling to her side. "Nooooo!" ,he wailed in pain and anger as Titan, Peach, Fax, Allister, and the others watched in tears, blood, and sweat, staring at their fallen princess, and their devastated prince. Count Bleck stood there in front of Rosalina and Bowser, disgusted in expression as if he felt pain for what had happened, he began to remember Timpani and what happened between them, as he began to tear up. He then turned his back and walked down the steps to the ending corridor. Bowser then woke up from his sleep as Rosalina did before, except he did not go back to sleep, he knew that for some reason Rosalina was headed for trouble, but he didn't know why or how to stop it, he stared at one of the photos he had of her for hours, until he cried himself back to sleep.

"Jewels, come to me at once!" ,Count Bleck demanded as she entered the room. Her and Nastasia traded death glances at each other as she humbly bowed in front of her master. "You called, my count?" ,she asked with a large grin on her face. "Congratulations on being so observant, but enough, I trust you know we can not succeed without the pure hearts, yes?" ,Count Bleck asked in sarcasm. "Um, yes your highness, and I think I have perhaps found another." ,she said as she regained her confidence. "Good, but you will do well to know that if I were you I would not lose another pure heart, we have already lost two which you will have to retrieve later!" ,Count Bleck stated. "Yes, my count, I regret it terribly, I will not fail you!" ,Jewels said as she looked at Nastasia one more time and warped off. "My count, it looks as if you have become quite a celebrity!" ,said Dimentio as he walked in with O'Chunks. "Why is that Dimentio?" ,Count Bleck asked as he sat down in his chair, his top hat shadowing his face. "Because, everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom has heard of you by now, and those star idiots talked to someone named Timpani, who says she knew you!" ,Dimentio said noticing Count Bleck's expression, he knew he had tugged his ears. Nastasia looked up at the count in shock as he showed no sign of any movement. "Away with you…" ,he said to Dimentio in disgust. "Oh yes, but by the way, does the name Blumiere ring a bell?" ,he said as he waited for a reply in excitement. The count smiled for a moment, as he pondered what to say. "The man Blumiere…died long ago…" ,he said as Dimentio warped out.

"Hmmm…" ,mumbled Nastasia as she looked down at the floor. "Something bothers you Nastasia…what is it?" ,the count asked as his servant looked up at him. "It's just, there is still time, if that really is her that Dimentio spoke of, we could stop this now." ,Nastasia said, hoping she did not upset her master. "That is enough, she is gone…from this world, never to return again…besides the prophecy cannot be stopped, it is far too late for that now…but you needn't stay by my side, I will let you depart with my blessing…" ,the count said as he continued to hide his face in the shadows. "Oh, I won't be doing that!" ,Nastasia replied. "Very well then, leave me now!" ,Count Bleck said as he motioned her away. She departed as Count Bleck stood up and looked out the window to see nothing but a dark wasteland. "Yes, she is gone, and nothing…nothing will stop me from destroying this world and all others…just as nothing can ease the pain of my heart.

"Blumiere, where have you been?" ,said Lord Hylaight as his son climbed back in his bedroom window, caught in the act. "Father…I…just went for a stroll in the moonlight." ,Blumiere replied as he grew extremely nervous. "You're lying to me, now I will ask one more time, where have you been?" ,this time Blumiere's father was angered terribly. "Father…I…" ,Blumiere held his head low, watching his legs tremble. "You were with that girl again, weren't you?" ,Blumiere looked up at his father in fear that he knew the situation. "Son, what have I told you about talking to those from the tribe of light? She is not our kind, she is a human, and I will not have my son with one of those vile creatures again!" ,Blumiere kept his head hung as his father ranted and raved. "If I ever catch you with her again, I swear…she will be killed, by my hands!" ,said Lord Hylaight as his face grew so red it almost matched the color of the hair on his head. Blumiere clenched his fists in anger behind his back, but would not say anything. His father left the room, slamming the door shut, as Blumiere collapsed on the floor in tears, holding his mouth shut so his father would not hear him. He then packed up some of his belongings and leaped out his bedroom window once more, leaving the tribe of darkness behind.

"Oh, Timpani, come on in!" ,Fax said as she opened the door. "I am sorry for being here unannounced, but I just felt I needed to talk with Rosalina and Bowser. "Sure, I'll call them in for you." ,Fax said as she shut the door behind them. Timpani, Bowser, and Rosalina sat on the couch, Rosalina and Bowser seemed to be in good moods, but Timpani had a look on her face as if she had seen death recently. "What is it you would like to speak to us about?" ,Rosalina asked as she poured some tea into a cup. "I wish I was bringing good news, but unfortunately…let's just get to it…you both had nightmares last night, didn't you?" ,Timpani asked as both of them agreed. "They were about each other dying weren't they?" ,She also asked as they both agreed a second time. "Well…I having the power of foresight, have been able to see that, these events will both take place, but not in the way you think…" ,she said hesitantly as Rosalina and Bowser's eyes widened in fear, seeing these flash backs play over and over in their heads. Timpani would not dare say more, for she knew it would upset the creator.

Count Bleck spent most of his time now, sitting in his chair watching Rosalina, feeling somewhat of a mixed emotion about her. He would not move, he could barely think, he was lost in an eternal gaze of nothing. Jewels then walked in the room quietly, the count although he did not appear to notice her, knew of her presence. "Why did you come…I did not summon you…" ,the count said as his servant bowed before him with the dark blue pure heart. "My count, this is for you!" ,she said with a grin as he glanced down at it. "Good, now take it away with the other two…" ,he said as he looked back up at the image of Rosalina. Jewels then walked away, angry, for he was not pleased with her in the way she wanted.

The Shadow Queen looked up at her long battling foe, striking her with everything she had, as Rosalina did the same. The two of them were locked in combat, struggling for dear life. The Shadow Queen was choking Rosalina with the power of the shadows as Rosalina was slashing The Shadow Queen with sword. Finally the moment came and Rosalina drove the sword right into Arabella's chest. Rosalina was then let go, rolling backward onto the ground, as Arabella looked down at her chest, blood as scarlet as her eyes, until her body began to turn gray and her eyes began to blacken. Her body began to melt into black smoke as it flew off into the air, leaving nothing behind. Rosalina stood up with what strength she had, as she watched the smoke vanish into thing air. Rosalina woke up from her nap, setting herself back up on the couch, thinking about the dream, and how it seemed like only a day ago that she was actually living that moment. It seemed like everything would finally be peaceful after that, she thought, until now.

"My count, only two more to go, along with the other two those fools took from us, and we will have ultimate power!" ,the Elder said as he stroked his orb. "Yes, soon, but I do not feel like talking about it…" ,said the count as he looked away. "My count, I can sense your emotion is still strong for Timpa…" "Don't say that name, she's dead!" ,Count Bleck interrupted in anger. "Well, it seems you are blinded, both by love and anger, beware those emotions, they will lead you to doom!" ,the Elder said as he warped away. Count Bleck closed his eyes, as he thought about whether or not the girl everyone was talking about was really his love, Timpani.

The next day, everyone was outside hanging out. The some of the girls were out in the yard talking, some of them in the pool laying out, and all of the guys except for Bowser were in the pool. Bowser took on the job of grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs, so that he would have an excuse not to be in the water. Rosalina walked over from the girls up to him in curiosity. "Say Bowser, why aren't you hanging out with the other guys?" ,she asked as Bowser tried to pretend he didn't notice her speaking. "Listen mister!" ,she shouted as she grabbed on to one of his horns and turned his head to look at her. "I…I…I'm afraid of water…" ,he said ashamed of his phobia. "What are you talking about, you have to have water to take a shower…you do shower don't you?" ,she asked reluctantly. "Yes, of course I do, I just don't like water…you know…in pools and stuff…" ,he mumbled as he turned to continue grilling. Rosalina then walked over to the pool and hollered for Titan. Titan then left the group that was playing games to join her. "I got a mission for ya!" ,Rosalina said as she got close to him and whispered. Titan grinned in delight of what she wanted as he rushed back over to the other guys. "What was all that about?" ,Fax asked as Rosalina walked back over to her and Peach. "You're about to find out girls, you're about to find out." ,she giggled. Titan, Allister, Rick and Qase, walked over to Bowser, acting like nothing was wrong. "Guys, the food isn't ready yet!" ,Bowser said as he motioned for them to leave him alone. Titan and Allister then quickly swept him off his feet and carried him to the pool. "Guys, I swear, if you do it!" ,Bowser threatened, but the guys didn't seem to care. The girls all watched, Crystal and Daisy, who were in the pool, watched in fear of the massive waves that were about to hit them, Fax, Rosalina, and Peach, watched in laughter. Titan and Allister used all of their strength as they flung their rather bulky friend into the pool, a huge splash accompanying the screams of him. "I am going to hurt you two!" ,Bowser screamed as he tried to gain his balance. Things seemed to be happy that day, until Qase got a call from the commander. "Qase, alert the team, another pure heart has been spotted!" ,she said as Qase nodded and hollered for the group to come close. Everyone rushed over to here what the young pup had to say. "The next pure heart has been found, and it is still unclaimed!" ,he said as everyone debated on who would be going to get it. "I'll go!" ,said Crystal as Rosalina also stepped forward in agreement. "Ok then, Rosalina and Crystal, do your stuff!" ,Qase said, watching the two girls prepare for battle. Within an instant they were off, but then they soon returned, for they had no idea where the heart was!

"Jewels, you do realize that those fools are headed this way don't you?" ,Dimentio said as he closed the doors to the building. "Yes, I do, and that's exactly why I planted this little trap for them, you see, this building has a dimension detonator." ,she said as she looked carefully for any signs of the heart. "A what?" ,Dimentio asked as he too searched. "A dimension detonator! It's a device that when triggered, will suck everything in this building into a rift of space and time. So we will get the heart and leave, and when they get here the trap will be triggered, trapping them forever!" ,Jewels giggled as she walked over to the door to the next room, she pulled and pushed, but the door wouldn't budge. Finally she had to kick down the door, causing loud noise, and tons of dust to ruffle up. "You idiot, do you want to attract attention to yourself?" ,Dimentio whispered. "Please, who on earth could possibly notice that, everyone that was in this place is dead now." ,Jewels said as she walked around the old room, that apparently had been empty for years and years. "We heard it!" ,said a person who was standing right behind them. "This time you've failed, so tell your pal Bleck that he can kiss it!" ,Crystal said as she leaped in and kicked Jewels, square in the mouth. "Don't think so girls, Showstopper!" ,shouted Dimentio as he used his powers to freeze the girls. "Hurry jewels, my magic is powerful, but it won't hold them for long!" ,Dimentio said as he struggled to hold them. "Got it!" ,Jewels shouted as she held up the purple pure heart. "Well, well, well, I guess that makes that makes five for us now, doesn't it! You guys are really slipping!" ,Jewels laughed before warping out along with Dimentio. The girls were then released from their imprisonment. "This isn't good…" ,Rosalina said. "So we have red and orange?" ,asked Crystal. "Yeah, we just need yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, purple, and white. So far, I hate to say it, but we're not doin so hot!" ,said Rosalina.

"My count, here as promised, the purple pure heart!" ,Jewels said with confidence as she tossed him the heart. He looked at it carefully and then handed it to Nastasia. "Excellent, so I am assuming that you have made preparations to find the next one and to retrieve the other two?" ,he asked. "Yes, your highness!" ,Jewels said as she warped away. Jewels walked into the lounge, flopping herself down on the couch. "Well, well, why are you hanging about when there is work to be done, hmm?" ,Dimentio asked in his usual tone of amusement. "Because, I only have three to go and I need thinking time…" ,she said as she closed her eyes and leaned back. Dimentio walked off chuckling at her laziness.

Rosalina was fast asleep, she was in a dream but this time, it was peaceful, slightly. She was suspended in air, the room was nothing but bright light. "Rosalina…" ,whispered a voice not far off from where Rosalina was floating. "Rosalina…open your eyes…" ,the voice continued as Rosalina began to open her eyes. As her eyes slowly began to open, she could see a somewhat blurry figure, until the person was clearly visible to be, Bow, her best friend from her childhood. "Rosalina, it's so good to see you again!" ,Bow said as she smiled big at Rosalina. "Bow? But how is this possible, you…you died years ago!" ,Rosalina stuttered as she began to cry. "Yes, but I was given the opportunity to see you again, after much waiting, and much asking, he let me see you." ,she said as she walked closer and wiped her friends tears away. "He?" ,Rosalina asked. "Yes, in time he will show himself to you, but now I am here to deliver a message of hope. Do not give up, soon you must face the choice between, life or death…this will not be simple, and though I wish I could tell you, I can not show which path to take…" ,Bow paused to allow Rosalina to speak. "But, how will I know which is the right choice?" ,she asked. "When the choice presents itself to you, that is when you will know, we must all die at some point in time, it was just unfortunate that my time with you was cut short…but do not linger on this thought…rest…close your eyes…" ,said Bow as she made Rosalina close her eyes. With her eyes closed, Rosalina proceeded to ask one more question. "Will…I ever see you again?" "Perhaps you will…my friend…do not linger…." ,Bow said as she disappeared and Rosalina continued her rest.

"Father, where is she!" ,Blumiere shouted as he barged into his father's study. His father hesitated to speak for a moment as he stood by the fireplace. "She…is no longer in our world" ,he replied as he looked at the dark prognosticus sitting on his desk. "What? What do you mean?" ,Blumiere asked in the hopes that he was wrong in his conclusion. "I told you son, our kinds must never mix, I warned you!" ,his father shouted as he looked quickly at Blumiere and slapped him, knocking him to the ground. Blumiere quickly rose to his feet and ran out of the room. He ran down, first, to the dungeons, thinking that his father might have placed her there, but she was not there. Then he searched the place they had usually went to on the beach, but nothing. He even snuck over to the tribe of light grounds, searching for her, but he then saw a group of people and a crying woman, doing the same thing he was doing. Finally he decided to search one more place, he did not want to go there but he had no choice but to go to the punishment grounds, a place where the people of the tribe of darkness go to torture someone and finally kill them. He traveled a great distance but finally made it to a large mountain, he scaled up it, trying to hope that somehow she was not hurt. As he got closer, his fears got stronger, every step caused him pain. Finally he made it up to the top and looked around to a small corner and saw her, lying on her back, sprawled across the rock. He fell to his knees, as he turned pale in sickness, he touched her chest, hoping to feel a heart beat. "Just one…" ,he thought as he waited, holding his hand on her breast, but nothing. He was covered in tears as he fell on her in pain, for he couldn't even keep himself up. A cloaked man walked up the mountain and stood behind the devastated young man. He bent down beside him, removed the hood of his cloak from his head, and spoke to him softly. "She isn't dead…not yet" ,he said as Blumiere looked up at him, confused and sad. "What?" ,he asked as the man removed his hand. "I can help her…but it will mean, that you might never see her again." ,the man said, waiting for Blumiere to respond. "It…is…the only way…" ,Blumiere said in agreement as he watched the man pick her up to take her away. "One more thing, this must happen…or else the destiny of your two futures will not come to pass…" ,the man said as he raised his hand. "What must ha…" ,Blumiere was stopped as the man sprinkled him with a powder. This powder made Blumiere forget about the man and about Timpani still living, all he knew was that Timpani was dead and he was angry.

"Look my lovely shining star…do not forget your destiny, in darkness and in light…I will be with you always, no matter what may come your way, I will help you…you are beautiful, brave, strong, and loved…we are always together…" ,Rosalina remembered her mother saying this to her when she was just seven years of age, just before she passed on. She remembered that whole night as if it was only yesterday, that was ten years ago, but the pain was still fresh in her mind. She knew she had a destiny to fulfill, for her family, friends, and for the world. These thought plagued her mind as she rolled over to return to sleep, hoping she might see Bow again…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8*King Of Hearts*

Count Bleck was once again out on the balcony, staring at the void, feeling the cool air wipe across his face as he thought about Timpani. He felt mixed emotions, part of the time he wanted to do nothing but see her face, part of him wanted to meet Rosalina face to face, and part of him wanted to give up on his mission. But he knew that it was far too late, he only needed three hearts to be able to cast punishment on the world that had forsaken his love.

"Rosalina, get up! It's time to go!" ,Fax shouted as she tugged at her best friend, who was lying in bed asleep. "Huh…what?" ,Rosalina mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. "It's time for church, remember? You wanted us to go, and now everyone is ready but you!" ,Fax said as she let go of Rosalina. She got out of bed, still half asleep, as she began to get dressed.

After church, everyone walked back home, discussing the atmosphere, since most of them had never been. "Well, I actually liked it!" ,Titan said with a grin on his face. "Yeah it was good! I liked the guys teaching, it's been a while since I've been to church…" ,said Rosalina as she hung her head in disappointment. "Well, this is a new starting point!" ,Fax said, trying to cheer her up as they continued to walk home. "Hmm…what the heck!" ,whispered Jewels as she watched the gang walk away as she stood inside an alleyway. "What is it?" ,Dimentio asked as he tried to look. "Those dorks are here! How is this possible, the pure heart is just inside the bakery, but we can't just bust in or they'll catch us!" ,Jewels replied as she thought of a plan. "Ok, here's what we're gonna do, you are gonna go distract 'em, while I go get the heart!" ,Jewels said as she walked off without waiting for a reply. "You!" ,Dimentio whispered as he realized he was standing out in the open and that the gang was watching him. "Eh…hey, let's have a little fun shall we?" ,Dimentio said as he began to engulf everyone in an alternate dimension. "Bowser, Titan, Allister, you guys go and get the heart before Jewels!" ,Rosalina shouted as she pushed the boys out of the way, while her, Fax, and Peach were stuck inside. "Ok girls, let's rumble!" ,Dimentio said as he encased them in clear boxes and levitated them off the ground. "Thanks Mr. Muffin Man, haha!" ,Jewels chuckled as she held in her hand the white pure heart. "Stop it!" ,Bowser shouted as the boys blasted through the doors of the bakery. "Oh, my gosh! Dimentio isn't worth shit today!" ,Jewels shouted as she commanded all of the pastries in the building to launch themselves at the boys. Bowser and Titan were dodging like professionals, trying to get closer to their target, while Allister was trying to catch the tasty morsels with his mouth. "What are you doing!" ,Titan asked as he watched Allister snacking. "Um…sorry…" ,he said as he tried to resist from eating any more. "Well this fun, but time isn't cheap!" ,Jewels said as she warped away, causing all of the treats to desist. Meanwhile, the girls were fighting off Dimentio, Rosalina tried to blast him with her scepter but instead he knocked it back at her, sending her flying backwards against the wall. "Just give up, this is just silly…" ,he said as he stood there staring at Fax. "That's enough Dimentio…" ,Jewels said as she warped in. Dimentio looked back to see her standing there with the heart, he then smiled and made the dimension disappear, warping away along with it. "Darn it!" ,Fax said as she slammed her fist onto the concrete. "We lost again!" ,Rosalina said as the boys came outside and joined them. "Well, what do we do now?" ,Titan asked. "We make sure that we don't lose the two we have, otherwise we lose everything, this isn't a game…" ,Fax said as she walked off towards the house.

"Bowser, I'm scared, everything is going wrong. If they get these last two hearts then everything is over, I don't deserve to be a princess…" Rosalina said as she looked down at the floor. Bowser took his right hand and placed it in hers and took his left hand to lift her head up. For a moment she shifted her eyes to look away from him, hoping he wouldn't say anything. "Look at me, it's not over yet, and it won't be until our last breadth, we'll make it through this, you didn't defeat the Shadow Queen by thinking it was all over did you? No, you didn't you never gave up, so don't start now!" ,he said as she nodded her head yes and walked back inside.

"My count, I have report that Jewels has found the final pure heart…" ,Nastasia said as she entered the room. Count Bleck was turned around, looking out the window, thinking only of Timpani. "I see, well alert me when she has the other two that we lost, that will be an actual accomplishment." ,he said as he walked off to the balcony. Nastasia, persistent as she was, decided to follow him. "My count! Stop being like this! If you truly love her, and you know for a fact that, that is her then stop this now!" ,Nastasia pleaded. "That is enough, you know not of what you speak…" ,he replied. "Lord Blumiere!" ,she shouted with everything she had. "Silence! The man known as Blumiere…died long ago…" ,he said as he warped away, leaving Nastasia almost in tears.

"Blumiere, don't touch that book son!" "Blumiere, is gone, she is gone…speak to me dark prognosticus, reveal your secrets to me…make this world pay for what it did to her…mwahaha!" "No son, no! Ahhhhh!"

"Blumiere, I am with you always…" Count Bleck looked down, covering his face with his top hat, as tears began to roll down his face. "Good-bye my love, forever…" ,he whispered as Timpani rose up, as if she heard him say it from a far off distance. "No…" ,she whispered as Toadette and Birdy looked at her. "What is it?" ,Toadette asked. Without a word, Timpani burst into tears, hoping that what happened, didn't really happen. Count Bleck walked off into the dark, cold, hallway; his heart as hard as stone, changed for the worst.

"Hmm…what am I gonna do about the other two hearts?" ,Jewels thought as Dimentio watched her pace around the room. "Why don't you just take a load off, and I'll handle this, then you can take the credit…free of charge…" ,Dimentio proposed, Jewels gave him a look as if he was stupid for even considering saying something like that. "Yeah, free of charge my ass…there's always some price with you Dimentio…" ,she said. Dimentio chuckled a bit before responding. "Oh boy, you got me there, the only thing I will get in return though, is the sheer satisfaction of playing around with those fools…" ,he said as he chuckled even more. "Hmm…I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but Dimentio…you got yourself a deal!" ,Jewels replied as they shook hands in agreement.

"So that's what the letter says?" ,Fax asked as Rosalina folded it back up and handed it to Bowser. "Yes, Dimentio wants to see us, I know what you guys are thinking…it's risky, but we have no other alternative!" ,Rosalina said as everyone realized that they had no choice. "Then let's do it, let's go show him who's boss!" ,Titan spoke up as everyone shouted in agreement. "We'll get those hearts back, before it's too late!" ,Peach chimed in. "No turning back guys, and if we fail…well we'll think about that later I guess…" ,Rosalina said. "What are we waiting for? To the underwhere!" ,Bowser shouted.

After a long journey through different dimensions, they finally arrived at the underwhere, a place of forgotten souls. "Wow, it sure is dark and creepy down here!" ,Allister said as they all looked around. "By the way! Why does everyone call it the underwhere?" ,Daisy asked. "Not everyone does, some people just don't like to call it hell…" ,Crystal replied as she walked forward, taking the lead. "Well, well, well, I am so glad you could all make it!" ,Dimentio shouted as he warped in. "Ok Dimentio, we're here, and we brought the hearts with us!" ,Rosalina said as she held them up in her hands. "Excellent, now I'm sure you all are probably expecting me to use some magic and take the hearts away, but rest assured, I'm not that way…we are going to have some fun!" ,Dimentio said as he raised his hands and began to perform a charm. "I am simply going to set the stage!" ,he continued as the atmosphere shifted into a long, dark hallway. "What's goin on!" ,Bowser shouted as something came up from the floor and grabbed on to Allister, Titan, Fax, and Peach; dragging them down under the floor leaving only Bowser, Rosalina, Daisy, and Crystal. "What do we do now?" ,Daisy asked as they all looked down at their feet. "We run!" ,Crystal screamed, they all started to run towards the end of the hallway, but as they went farther in, the hallway got longer. "It's no use, it's an endless labyrinth!" ,Rosalina shouted as they still continued to run. Suddenly a portion of the walls opened up and snatched Crystal and Daisy while Bowser and Rosalina continued their pace. "Hmm…they're persistent to be sure, but they will soon lose!" ,Dimentio said to himself as he watched them run in fear. As they continued, the walls began to shake, crumbling apart just behind them. "Rosalina, it's all over!" ,Bowser shouted. "No it's not, get ready!" , she said as they continued to run. "Star Celestial Power!" ,she shouted as she transformed into her super suit, while Bowser did the same.

Rosalina took her scepter and pointed it at the crumbling walls behind them as they continued to run. "Star Shining Freeze!" ,she shouted as a powerful ice beam shot from her scepter, freezing the walls long enough for Bowser to pick Rosalina up and start flying. Finally the ice gave in and the walls began to crumble behind them again, while Bowser was flying as fast as he could. "I think it's about time for a little showstopper!" ,Dimentio said as he snapped his fingers. Bowser began to see something down in the hallway, it appeared to be a large hole in the wall, but he couldn't stop fast enough and they both flew right into it, falling down a tunnel to a lit up room. "Welcome! I must applaud you for making it through my traps, I said I was gonna have some fun but there's always a time to get serious!" ,Dimentio said as he chuckled lightly. "Ok Dimentio, just you and me!" ,Rosalina said as she got up from the floor. "What, you can't do this by yourself!" ,Bowser said as he held onto her wrist. "Bowser, let go. I've already risked enough, I'm not gonna risk you too!" ,she shouted as Bowser let her go and backed off. "How touching, but let the games begin!" ,Dimentio shouted as he threw out a stack of large stone playing cards to attack Rosalina. She dodged them all with determination, firing blast after blast from her scepter to no avail. "Let's raise the stakes!" ,Dimentio shouted as he ceased his fire of cards to switch to poker chips that flew around the room like boomerangs, only interested in one target. Bowser stood against the wall watching the ridiculous battle take place, wishing he could help. "You can't do this forever Dimentio!" ,shouted Rosalina as she jumped and ducked to avoid the oversized chips. "On the contrary my dear…but I see your point, so…I call on my Jack!" ,he shouted as a huge warrior came forth from one of the playing cards on the walls to fight one on one with Rosalina. He slashed his sword as Rosalina curved to dodge, she fired her scepter as he flipped sideways to become a thin figure. Finally Rosalina thought as she continued to dodge the Jacks sword swings. She remembered what Claire had said to her the night she revived her powers. "Use it only in your most dire hour, for it's power is too strong to handle lightly…" Rosalina then held up her scepter to perform the ultimate attack. "Super Striker Power Ignite!" ,she shouted as her scepter let out an on going beam of light. She was having a hard time guiding it because of the force, but she she swung it around to hit not only the Jack but also Dimentio, frying them both. "No! How can this be, you have bested me!" ,Dimentio wailed as he disintegrated into dust, leaving behind the six pure hearts that he held in his possession.

As the dimension disappeared, Rosalina and Bowser could see everyone running towards them. "We're back in the underwhere!" ,Rosalina said as everyone came up to greet them. "You guys did great!" ,Crystal shouted. "Thanks, but I owe it to Claire!" ,Rosalina said as she closed her eyes for a moment. "Don't think so losers!" ,echoed Jewels as she warped in, grabbing the six hearts. "What, no!" ,Bowser shouted. "You guys have played hard, but I'm afraid your too late!" ,Jewels chuckled as she used her powers to force the last two hearts out of Rosalina's hands, taking them for her own. "Well my friends, it's been fun…but it's time for us to end this!" ,Jewels laughed as she warped away. All seemed to be lost for the group now.

"My count…we have done it…" ,Jewels said calmly as she lifted the eight pure hearts toward him. He stood in front of his chair, examining them, showing no emotion as Nastasia and the Elder watched in amazement. "Excellent…we can now further our plans…Nastasia, hand me the book!" ,he demanded holding out his hand waiting to receive it. "Y…y…yes…sir…" ,Nastasia said hesitantly as she handed him the book. "Darkness…come to us…by the power of the hearts of the pure…bring forth the heart of impurity!" ,he shouted as the pure hearts turned gray and dull, falling to the ground. Therefore revealing the heart of darkness, pitch black in color, powerful, the chaos heart. Count Bleck took it into his hands and spoke. "By the power of the chaos heart, I now cause the world of light to vanish, awaken the void!" ,he shouted as the heart disappeared and in the skies of every world, formed a small black hole called the void, that when it grew large enough, it would consume all worlds, destroying everything.

At the house, everyone stood around in the kitchen looking down at the floor. "We lost…" ,Rosalina whispered to herself as she got up and looked out the window at the small forming void. "Not entirely…" ,said Timpani as her and the others came in. "What do you mean, we have nothing else…" ,Rosalina replied. "That's not true!" ,Fax burst out as she stood up. "Why would you say that! You taught us to never give up, I mean, when you fought the Shadow Queen, and we thought all was lost, you showed us that we were wrong, so don't you dare say that in front of me!" ,she continued as Rosalina began to tear up. "She's right you know…" ,Bowser said. "I know she is!" ,Rosalina shouted as she looked down.

Qase and Rick began to smile as they both got out of their seats. "Come on guys! We still have a chance even if we don't have a chance!" ,Qase said. "Qase, now's not a good time…" ,Titan whispered as he put his hand on Qase's shoulder. "No, I think he's right! What he's trying to say is that even though it looks grim right now, we're still alive, so if we're gonna go down, we should go down trying, we owe the people of this world that much!" ,Fax said as she began to smile. "Exactly!" ,Qase replied. "Well then, what do we do next?" ,Pauline asked. "We head for Bleck manor, in the center of the void." ,Timpani said as everyone looked at her strangely. "Yes, I know it's strange that I know so much, and yet I know so little, I hope to remember the whole truth as soon as I see him face to face. I will be your guide." ,Timpani continued. "Ok, but someone's gotta stay behind and watch the kids!" ,Peach said. "What! Come on!" ,Rick shouted. "Sorry Rick, but it's too dangerous!" ,Peach replied as Rick pouted. "We will!" ,volunteered Pauline and Daisy, although Daisy didn't seem to thrilled. "Ok, then we're off!" ,shouted Rosalina as the others followed her outside. After transforming into their uniforms; Rosalina, Bowser, Peach, Titan, Allister, Crystal, Birdy, Toadette, Haylee, and Timpani flew off toward the void in the sky.

"Begging your pardon my count, those fools are on their way here…" ,said Jewels as she entered the room. "Good gravy! Are they really?" ,shouted O'Chunks. "Yes, you bumbling idiot. "I see, and what of Dimentio?" ,Count Bleck asked. "He's dead…" ,Nastasia piped in. "I see, then we will have to launch our new weapons!" ,Count Bleck said. "Your highness, what weapons?" ,Jewels asked. "They are weapons that these fools may know very well, they are strong to be sure with a little extra added chaos heart power, I have come to call them Mr. M and Mr. L…" ,Count Bleck said as he motioned for everyone but Nastasia to leave him. He walked back to the balcony with her, as she looked at him in confusion. "Umm, my count, there is something you ought to know…" ,she said. "What is is?" ,he asked her without looking towards her. "Timpani is with them…" ,she replied. "I see…" ,before continuing he stood at the edge of the balcony raising his hands in the air. "Let them come, come now foolish creatures and end your lives!" ,he shouted as he released a large storm of lighting into the air.

"Hang on guys, I have a feeling the atmosphere is gonna be rough!" ,Rosalina shouted as they all held hands, entering into the dark void. The wind was blasting at them at extremely high speeds but they were determined, they were not going to let it stop them. They continued to press forward as Bleck Manor came into view. "I see it guys!" ,shouted Peach. "Be careful guys, I'm sure he's going to be expecting us!" ,Timpani said as they began to land on the platform in front of the mansion. "Well, we're here…now what?" ,Fax asked. As they touched the ground and let go of each other. "What else, we go in…" ,Birdy said sarcastically as they began to walk towards the mansion doors. The whole time they were walking, Timpani felt uneasy, to the point that she stopped walking for a moment. Everyone else stopped and waited for her as she closed her eyes. "Blumiere, my love…I will rescue you…" ,she whispered as she began to walked again, and they all entered in the mansion. Little did they know that Count Bleck had been watching them the whole time from the balcony, he shook his head in disappointment as he walked back in.

They entered into a very large foyer, seeing a staircase that seemed to lead to the upper floor. "We must go upward, that's where he is, I can feel it…" ,Timpani said as they all took a step. Suddenly the floor gave way, and they all fell down a small tunnel. "Where are we going?" ,Fax shouted as they continued to fall. "How are we supposed to know?" ,Birdy replied. Fax thought about how she was getting very annoyed at her as they finally all fell onto a very hard concrete floor. "Ouch, that hurt!" ,Peach said as she stood up slowly. "Well, so much for get to Bleck easy!" ,Titan said sarcastically. "I'm sorry, but the count is too busy to talk to you guys…" ,Jewels said as she warped in. "You again!" ,Bowser shouted. "Yes, it's me…I'm glad to see you too!" ,she said as she giggled lightly. "Just let us go Jewels, you have no idea what your doing!" ,Rosalina said as she held up her scepter, prepared to fight. "Really? Well, how about we put your theory to the test!" ,she said as she used her powers to try and flood the room with water. "Have a nice bath you fools!" ,she said as she warped away. The room was flooding so fast that it was almost impossible to think about what to do. "You guys, I'll get you out of here, but you will have to leave me behind!" ,Toadette shouted as she used her powers to guide the water around the room, making it levitate the others up through the tunnel. "No! I'm not leaving you here!" ,shouted Birdy as she forced herself through the water to grab Toadette. The rest of them were out in the foyer, waiting for Birdy and Toadette to make it back up the tunnel as the water began to rush into the foyer. "I see them!" ,Rosalina shouted as she reached her hand into the hole for Birdy to grab onto.

The hole began to shrink but Birdy was still swimming as she held onto Toadette, who had passed out. They were only seconds away, but it was too late, within an instant the hole disappeared as Rosalina pulled her arm away. Everyone looked down in silence and mourning as Timpani turned her head towards the large staircase. "We have to move on…they didn't risk their lives just for us to stand here!" ,Timpani said as she marched up the stairs, the others following behind her.

"Blumiere…never leave me…" ,Timpani said as the two of them sat there on the beach, watching the waves crash in. "I would never…" ,he replied as he leaned over to her and kissed her. Count Bleck continued to think on these things as he waited for the group to reach him. "My count, two of them have been defeated…" ,said Jewels as she walked in the room. "Why is this, I believe I specifically told you to let them come to me!" ,Count Bleck said as Nastasia and O'Chunks watched his anger. "Yes, but my count, they…" ,she was stopped, and in an instant the count slit her throat with his cane. Nastasia and O'Chunks looked down in sadness of seeing their master in so much pain. He walk back to the balcony once again to be alone with his thoughts, as the other two walked away.

Everyone ran up the steps to the large door on the second floor, they opened it quickly and saw a large spiral staircase that went all the way to the fourth floor, bypassing the third. They immediately began to climb it as Timpani hurried, hoping that she still had time to save her love. Meanwhile everyone back in the kingdom was watching the sky, as it grew dark and cold. Mother's were holding their children close to them, babies were crying, the depressed were killing themselves, people all around feared for their lives, even Pauline, Daisy, Rick, and Qase were scared. The group made it up to the fourth floor corridor and saw a mazelike room. "This is going to take a while!" ,Peach said as everyone looked around. "No it won't!" ,Timpani said as she raised her staff in the air. "Time Fuse!" ,she shouted as a large explosion cleared everything that was causing the maze, allowing them to see the door to the next area. They climbed up the next set of stairs to a large door that led to the count's chamber. The burst through the door to see Nastasia standing beside a chair that was occupied by none other than Count Bleck. "I see that you have come…" ,he said as he covered his face with his hat. "Blumiere my love…" ,Timpani said as she walked forward. "Blumiere is no longer alive…" ,he said. "I know that isn't true!" ,Timpani replied as she walked towards him. Everyone watched as she went over to his chair, not even Nastasia was going to interrupt. "How dare you approach me!" ,he said. "Because I know I am still in your heart…" ,Timpani whispered as she touched his face with her hand. The touch made their minds connect for a moment and then everything was made clear. Timpani removed her hand as the count stood up and looked her in the eyes. "It…is…you…" ,he said slowly. "Yes, it's me…" ,she said as she smiled. "Count look out!" ,Nastasia shouted as she stepped in front of them both, receiving the attack that was aimed at them. She fell to the floor, passed out as everyone looked around to see where it came from. "Silly assistant, trying to defend the helpless…" ,said Dimentio as he warped in the room. "Dimentio!" ,Timpani shouted as she tried to cover Bleck. "How touching!" ,giggled Dimentio as he warped Count Bleck away with him. "No!" ,Timpani shouted as everyone ran up to her. "Timpani, I'm sorry!" ,said Rosalina as she bent down to hold on to her. "It's all right, It's not over…but first I have to show you guys the truth!" ,Timpani said as she held up her rod and they began to see the story behind the girl and the boy…


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9*The Girl and The Boy*

"Come on Tippi, let's go play!" ,shouted a little girl as she ran along with her friend. The scene was a small lake surrounded by fields of flowers. "What is this?" ,Rosalina asked while her and the others watched. "It is mine and Blumiere's story." ,Timpani said as she too watched the little girls skip around the field of flowers, laughing away. "Jolene…do you think I will ever find a boy?" ,Tippi asked her friend as they lay in a patch of grass watching the clouds go by. "Yuck! Why would you want one, they're disgusting!" ,Jolene replied in disgust. "Not all of them!" ,Tippi replied as she giggled at her friend who was making faces. "Let's just keep playing, ok?" ,she asked as Tippi rose to her feet. "Sure!" ,Tippi chuckled as the two of them walked off.

Now it was Timpani's tenth birthday, everyone gathered around her as she blew out the candles on her cake. "Happy Birthday, Tippi!" ,Jolene shouted as she hugged her friend and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much!" ,Timpani replied. "Hey, darling, you have a birthday card from someone!" ,Timpani's mother said. "Who from?" ,Timpani asked as she took the card in hand. "Open it and find out!" ,Jolene said as she got really close. Timpani opened the card and read it aloud. "Happy Birthday, Timpani, I know you probably don't pay that much attention to me at school, but I just wanted to say that I think that you are very cute! ~Blue" ,Timpani studied the card as everyone wondered who blue was but no one came to mind, and so the card was soon forgotten.

Three weeks after her eleventh birthday, Timpani went with Jolene to get some ice cream after school. "I would like a chocolate fudge pop, please!" ,Timpani asked the ice cream man nicely. At that time, a young boy, same age as Timpani and Jolene, came up to them both. He was a pale, skinny little boy, his clothes looked as if they were the finest made, but they appeared very dark and mysterious. "Umm, hi!" ,the boy said to Timpani, bypassing Jolene which didn't seem to make her happy. "Uh…hi…" ,Timpani said with a strange look on her face. "Do we know you!" ,Jolene interrupted with a question. "Umm, my name is Blumiere, I'm the one that sent you the birthday card last year." ,he said as he began to blush. "Your blue!" ,Timpani shouted as her face began to light up with excitement. The ice cream man handed her the ice cream pop she had requested. "Yes, it's me!" ,Blumiere said as his face too lit up. "Come on Tippi! He looks weird, besides your mom and dad will be wondering where we are!" ,Jolene said as she grabbed Tippi by the arm. "I'll see you later!" ,she whispered as she walked away with her angry friend.

Two years later, Timpani and Blumiere had become great friends, they were at the beach talking away, watching the waves crash in on the shore, while Jolene watched them from afar. "Actually, I'm just a normal girl even though my mother and father are royalty, no one treats me different and I can't say that I would like them to treat me any different." ,Timpani said as she looked at the ocean waves. "Why? You are a beautiful girl, you are special!" ,Blumiere said as he looked at her. "Thank you for the complements…truly…but I would rather be treated like a normal human being than a goddess anyway." ,Timpani giggled as she looked into his eyes. They hesitated for a moment before grabbing each others hands. Jolene could not believe her eyes, she was angry that a boy had taken her friend away from her.

That next day, the two girls were on their way home from school, arguing as they seemed to do just about everyday now. "I just can't believe you falling for his tricks!" ,Jolene shouted. "What tricks? He's sweet and gentle!" ,Timpani said. "He is playing you! And I can't believe that you would…let him…replace me!" ,Jolene said. Timpani stopped for a moment. "What! I…he…he's not replacing you…is…is that what you think?" ,Timpani said. Jolene remained silent even looking away from her friend. "Well, if that's how you feel…you really are a selfish girl, never speak to me again!" ,Timpani shouted as she took off running. Jolene stood there watching Timpani run off in tears, wishing she had just kept her mouth shut. From that moment on Timpani and Jolene never spoke again, but as the days, and months rolled by Jolene began to grow colder against her and Blumiere.

Four years later, Timpani found Blumiere lying on the sands of the beach in pain. "Blumiere!" ,she shouted as she rushed over to him. "Timpani, I don't want you to see me like this…" ,he said as she helped him to sit up. "What happened?" ,Timpani asked. "My…my father…he doesn't wish for me to see you…he thinks that just because we are from different worlds, we shouldn't be together…" ,he said as he looked down at the sand. Timpani didn't know what to say other than to tell him to not see her again, but she chose not to even say anything. That night after Blumiere felt well enough, and Timpani was asleep, he got up and headed for the mansion that he lived in with his parents. He snuck in through his bedroom window, not realizing that his father was standing by the door to his room. "Blumiere, where have you been?" ,his father asked. Blumiere became nervous, not knowing what to say next. "Father…I…" ,he was paused. "You went to see that girl again didn't you? Son I told you, people from the tribe of light can not live with the tribe of darkness, I swear son, if I ever catch you with her again…she will be killed…by my hands!" ,his father shouted as he slammed the door shut, while Blumiere fell to the ground trying to hold his wails of pain in. Then out of anger he packed up a bag and snuck back out his bedroom window, headed for the beach. Jolene had been watching everything from behind bushes and trees, as she hatched a brilliant plan to seek revenge. "Blumiere, where did you go?" ,Timpani asked as she rose to her feet. "It's not important, I just…never mind…." ,he said as they both sat down to talk again.

Also that night, Jolene walked to the front of the mansion and knocked on the door. It just so happened that Blumiere's father answered the door. "What is it you want girl?" ,he asked. "I know your son…from school…and I am here to tell you that he will not stop bothering my friend, Timpani!" ,she said. Blumiere's father grew angry as he ran straight for his son's room, seeing that no one was in there he stormed off to the dungeons. Jolene on the other hand skipped away happy, until she was spotted by a guard. "You, trespasser, you are from the tribe of light, you are not welcome here!" ,the guard shouted as he shot her down. She then fell off the side of the bridge into the river below.

"If that is the case then you should go back home!" ,Timpani said as she lay with Blumiere in the sand. "No, I'm not going back!" ,he said as he watched the fire begin to go out. Timpani saw two figures headed for the beach, but Blumiere did not notice them. "Then will you at least go retrieve some more wood for the fire?" ,Timpani said as she pointed towards the forest behind them. "Sure!" ,Blumiere said as he got up and walked deep in the forest to search for wood.

When he returned, the fire was completely diminished and Timpani was not there. "Timpani?" ,he shouted, wondering where she might be. It was then that he remembered what his father had said to him, that he picked up his bag and headed for the mansion. He barged through the main doors and ran to his father's lounge. "What have you done with her!" ,he asked his father who was standing in front of the fire place, watching the flames roll around. "I warned you son, I told you to keep away from her, our kinds can't mix, she is no longer in our world!" ,his father shouted. As Blumiere began to sweat, he was trying to hope that his thought were wrong as he ran down to the dungeons, to find that no one was there. He ran back to the beach hoping that she had returned there but she was not there, he even went over to a village of the tribe of light to find her, and he instead saw a group of people and a woman, searching for the same person. He searched countless places, wondering where she could be until he thought of one place, he had hoped he was wrong but he had no choice but to search the punishment grounds, the place where the tribe of darkness punished anyone who had come against them. He ran towards the mountain that the grounds was on, as he scaled the mountain his heart beat faster and his thoughts began to consume him. The farther he would go the more he would think about what he did not want to admit. He finally made it to the summit as he turned his attention to a corner of the grounds where a body lay, and there she was, her eyes glazed over, her body vacant, her skin pale. As Blumiere witnessed this he fell to the ground in devastation, he crawled over to her and layed his heart on her breast, hoping to feel just one heartbeat, but there was nothing. He burst into tears as he collapsed on her frail body. Then a cloaked man walked up behind him and kneeled beside him. "She's not dead, I can help her…but it will mean that you may never see her again…" ,the man who had appeared to be Merlon said as the scene evaporated, bringing everyone back to the count's chamber in the mansion. Everyone was in tears, even the boys as Rosalina hugged Timpani. "I'm sorry…" ,Rosalina said as she held onto her. "We'll get him back!" ,Peach spoke up as she clenched her fist in anger. "Yeah, Dimentio won't get away with this!" ,Bowser chimed in as everyone stepped forward towards Rosalina and Timpani. "Thanks guys, that really means a lot to me!" ,Timpani said.

"Dimentio's goin down!" ,Crystal shouted. "He doesn't have a chance!" ,Allister said. As everyone hugged and walked towards the door to the balcony, unsure of what they must face, but sure that they would face it together, for Toadette, Birdy, Blumiere, Timpani, and the world!

The group ran out on the balcony to see Count Bleck lying on the floor, weak, and torn as Dimentio attacked him constantly. "If you are dead then the chaos heart can be ours!" ,Dimentio chuckled as he continued to attack the count. "Ours?" ,Rosalina asked. "Yes, us…welcome to the finale of your lives!" ,said the Elder as he appeared on the balcony. "No, my love!" ,Timpani screamed in torture from hearing the counts wails of pain. All they could do was look at each other, they're eyes met and so did they're minds. "Blumiere…why did you do it…why did you open the dark prognosticus?" ,Timpani asked as she looked down at the white floor of her mind. "Because I thought I had lost you…without you I felt no love, and I wanted to punish everything and everyone that took you away from me…" ,the count replied. "But, Blumiere…I was alive, Merlon himself told you that!" ,Timpani said as she touched his face with her hand. "He did not tell me anything, he left with you…not saying a word…" ,Blumiere said as Timpani realized what had happened. When Merlon took Timpani after telling Bleck she was alive, he used a charm to make sure that Bleck didn't remember that she was alive. If he knew, then it would have disrupted their destinies, allowing Dimentio and the Elder to get away with their evil plot secretly.

They're minds split once again, after Bleck was hit one last time. He fell to the ground passed out, as the chaos heart appeared. "That's enough Dimentio, the time has come…we have the chaos heart, now take down these fools!" ,the Elder said as he took the chaos heart in hand. "Tim..Timpa…ni…" ,Count Bleck mumbled as Dimentio turned and looked at him. "Oh, I almost forgot about you, I'll deal with you later…." ,Dimentio giggled as he warped the count to an alternate Dimension. The Elder took the chaos heart up into the air, causing a great storm to scatter across the worlds, everyone was in great fear for their lives at this point, as people in their towns were going crazy to make sure they were protected, no matter what they did to others. "That's it, no more!" ,shouted Fax as Dimentio charged for the group. "Super Starlight Engage!" ,Rosalina shouted as she fired her scepter at him. He tried to dodge it, but Rosalina would not take "no" for an answer, as she swung her scepter around chasing him down, until he was finally hit and destroyed. "That felt great!" ,Rosalina said as she looked at he scepter.

Deep in the alternate dimension, Count Bleck lay on the floor, struggling to get up. "My count!" ,shouted O'Chunks as he warped in and rushed over to help him. "O…O'Chunks…what are you doing here?" ,the count asked as O'Chunks help him up. "I'm here to help you, if you knew how many dimensions I went through till I found ya!" ,replied O'Chunks. "I…don't know why…I haven't done anything…to deserve your help…" ,the count said as he looked down. "Don't say that! You have to fight, it's the only way you'll ever get your girl back!" ,O'Chunks shouted. "Timpani!" ,Count Bleck whispered as he looked up. Suddenly the pure hearts appeared in front of them, healing the counts injuries. "I…I have to take these to Rosalina now!" ,Count Bleck shouted. "Yes, you still have time, I'm gonna go help Nastasia!" ,O'Chunks said as both of them warped out. "Well, what do we do now that the chaos heart is gone?" ,asked Bowser. "Nothing, there's nothing you can do now!" ,shouted the Elder as everyone looked around to find him. "Come out here now!" ,shouted Rosalina. "Well, I guess since you aren't going to leave peacefully, we should settle this now!" ,the Elder chuckled as he appeared from behind the dark clouds. The storm raged on, but Rosalina and friends were determined not to give up. "This is it! Star Shining Gaze!" ,shouted Rosalina as she fired her scepter at the Elder. "You really think that is going to stop me!" ,the Elder taunted as he broke the beam, thus knocking the scepter out of Rosalina's hands. Everyone was in shock for the scepter had never failed her before. "I'm afraid that won't be enough this time…" ,said Claire as she appeared beside Rosalina. "What do you mean?" ,Rosalina asked. "He's much stronger than your current form, you must use the power of the hearts…" ,Claire said but Rosalina did not understand what she meant. "She means these!" ,Count Bleck shouted as he appeared with the eight pure hearts, fully powered and fully prepared. "My love!" ,Timpani shouted as she ran over to him. "Yes, soon we can be together, but first…take them, use them!" ,the count shouted as he tossed the hearts over to Rosalina. "How touching, do you honestly think you can beat me with the power of puny hearts?" ,the Elder continued to taunt. "Not just hearts, but with the power of love, anything is possible!" ,Rosalina shouted as she held the pure hearts in the air, the Elder doing the same with the chaos heart. "Let's match the power of darkness and light!" ,he shouted as a beam came from both the pure hearts and the chaos heart.

The two beams connected, causing a huge rift in time and space. The blast was so powerful that it knocked everyone that was not engaged in combat, back against the wall. The storm was still raging, both there and in the worlds as people ducked for cover, from the lighting and the tornados. "You won't win foolish girl!" ,the Elder shouted as he continued to control the chaos heart. "Yes, I will…we all will!" ,Rosalina said as everyone rose to their feet and locked hands.

"Come on you guys, we can do this!" ,Count Bleck shouted as he transferred his power to Rosalina. The Elder realized that he was going to lose if he didn't do something, so he began to plague Rosalina's mind with lies. Rosalina turned and saw Bowser with Fax, trying not to believe that it was happening. She turned again and saw everyone walking away from her, finally she closed her eyes so she wouldn't look. "Don't give up Rosalina!" ,shouted Peach. "Yeah, we're with you!" ,Fax piped up. "All together!" ,Crystal shouted. "For love, and a better future!" ,Titan chimed in as he looked at Fax. "For new love, and for new life!" ,Allister shouted as he looked at Peach. "Till the end!" ,Bowser said as he appeared right beside Rosalina. The hearts transformed into a golden scepter that flew right into Rosalina's hands, charged with the power of her friends, she could feel their energy. "I'm always with you…" ,Bowser whispered as he placed his left hand on her waist and his right hand on the scepter with hers. Rosalina blushed before looking up at the Elder in determination. "Now, it's time to end this! Golden Scepter Blast!" ,she shouted as everyone else followed, shooting out a large beam of light, the Elder crumbled away leaving behind the chaos heart.

Rosalina turned to the others as the scepter disappeared, changing her back to normal. "Thank you guys, all of you!" ,she said as she looked at all of them with a big smile on her face. Timpani and Blumiere walked over to a separate portion of the balcony to talk alone while the others talked amongst themselves. "We can finally be together my love!" ,Timpani said as she rested her hand on the banister. "Yes, today is a new day!" ,Blumiere said as he placed his hand on hers and smiled. Everything seemed happy, and the evil was gone, until the chaos heart began to react. Everyone turned and looked at it, as it floated up in the air and disappeared, leaving behind a massive earthquake. "What's happening!" ,Bowser shouted as everyone began to stumble. "The chaos heart lives! The Elder must have left behind some of his power to allow it to finish it's job, it won't last long, but it may last long enough to destroy all worlds." ,Count Bleck shouted as the ground began to quake so much that the mansion was falling apart. "What do we do!" ,Timpani said as she grabbed on to Bleck's arm. "There is only one thing we can do, quickly, grab onto me everyone!" ,Count Bleck shouted as everyone rushed over to him and grabbed on to him, warping away from the chaos.

They all suddenly reappeared in a white room, it appeared to be a wedding chapel by the looks of it's décor. "Wow, this place is beautiful!" ,Peach said. "What are we doing here?" ,Bowser asked as they all looked around. "Me and Timpani must do what we wanted to do all along, it will give off enough power to destroy the chaos heart…but…it will take out lives…" ,he said as everyone turned and looked at him. "No, you can't go!" ,shouted O'Chunks as him and Nastasia warped in the room. "I am sorry, but if we do not…than all will cease to exist…" ,the count said as he looked at Timpani. Before he could say anything Timpani stopped him. "Blumiere…I do not care what happens to me, as long as I am with you…" ,she said as she smiled. The boys were having a hard time understanding this whole scene, but the girls were touched with a flare of romance and tragedy. "Then let us away!" ,the count said as him and Timpani flew up to the podium, the pure hearts following behind them. "My love, there was so much I wanted to say to you, but never got the chance…" ,Blumiere said as he looked down. "I know, but we are together now and that's all that matters…" ,she replied to him. "Timpani…do you still love me?" ,he asked as the chaos heart appeared in the center of the pure hearts. "I never stopped…" ,she answered back. They looked at each other as they stood at the alter, hand in hand. "I hate that all of this had to happen, because of me, you would have been better off without me…" ,Blumiere said as he looked down. Timpani lifted his head and rubbed his face with her hand. "No, you are everything to me, I will never leave your side, no matter what!" ,she said as the pure hearts began to react with the chaos heart, causing the happy couple to disappears. In one instant the chaos heart shattered and the pure hearts vanished, causing another earthquake to occur. "What's happening!" ,Bowser shouted as the room began to glow. Suddenly, Peach heard a faint noise, it sounded like wedding bells and a choir chiming together. "Do you here it?" ,she asked as she closed her eyes and smiled. "Yes, it's finally over!" ,Rosalina said as she too smiled. Castle Town began to cheer as the void shrank down to nothing, relieving Pauline and the boys.

The void also disappeared from the skies of many other worlds, such as Iceland, Desertland, and so on. Everything was at peace once more. "Timpani, do you remember that night on the beach, when I asked you to go away with me to a new place, a place where we could be free from all trouble?" "Yes, what of it?" "Will you go with me to that place now?" "Of course, Blumiere…I will always be with you…"

The group, along with Nastasia and O'Chunks, was warped back out in front of the house as Pauline and the boys came to greet them. "You guys did it!" ,shouted Rick as he came up and hugged Peach. Qase tried to hug Titan, but as big brother's are, he wouldn't let him. "What will you two do?" ,Rosalina asked as she turned to O'Chunks and Nastasia. "We will do what Count Ble…Blumiere wanted all along…" ,O'Chunks said. "And what is that?" ,Bowser asked in curiosity. "Try our best to create a perfect world…" ,Nastasia replied with a smile. Rosalina shook her head for a moment before speaking. "As long as we live, there will never be a perfect world…but we must do our best to keep the one we live in…in tip top shape!" ,she said as she smiled. "Then we'll do that!" ,Nastasia giggled as she warped away with O'Chunks. "How was the baby?" ,Bowser asked to Pauline. "She's been asleep the whole time." ,she replied. "Really!" ,Bowser shouted. Everyone laughed at his surprise to the fact. "Come on guys, let's go in and rest!" ,Rosalina said as everyone agreed and walked in the house for a much needed siesta!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10*Awakening The Dragon*

A woman walked into a large, dimly lit room. The room was ancient looking, like it had been there for centuries. She walked up to a stone tablet, that was carved into the wall. The carving was in the form of a large dragon, she knelt down to it and placed her hand on the head of the dragon. "My love, soon…very soon…you shall return…" ,said the woman. "How will this be accomplished?" ,asked the dragon. "I shall use the power of those men, the guardians of life…they will be your energy source…" ,she replied as she began to stroke the carving. "Then go my sweet, and do not fail…I can not love you properly until I am free from this curse…" ,said the dragon as the woman rose to her feet. "It's my turn to cause a fuss…" ,she said with a smirk on her face as she walked away.

"My sweetheart, the battle is not over yet…" ,Rosalina heard a voice say as she walked up the stairs. She went to the room where the baby was sleeping, watching her snooze away. "This girls will be an important part of your mission Rosalina, protect her…" ,the voice said again. "I will…" ,Rosalina whispered as she walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Rosalina walked into the kitchen and saw Fax, Peach and Allister talking and eating breakfast. "What up girl!" ,Fax shouted. Rosalina looked at her funny as she put her finger across her mouth. "Be quiet, the baby is asleep!" ,she whispered as Fax blushed in embarrassment. "It's quite nice out today, don't ya think?" ,Peach asked randomly as she looked out the window. "Umm, yeah…I guess…" ,Allister chuckled. Peach began to get nervous as Fax pulled her out of the room to talk, leaving Rosalina and Allister in awkward silence. "What are you doing? Just talk to him!" ,Fax whispered harshly. "One, your spitting on me. And two, I'm not even sure he likes me anymore…" ,Peach said with her head hung low. "What are you talking about, of course he does…you can see written across his face!" ,Fax said not realizing that Rosalina and Allister were standing right behind them. "Umm…" ,Peach began to blush and slowly walked off in embarrassment, while Fax walked away calmly, whistling as if nothing had happened. "Did you here that?" ,Rosalina asked. "Oh yeah!" ,Allister replied as the two of them split ways.

Bowser and Rosalina ran across the north bridge, dodging falling brick and fire, trying to get out of the castle area. Titan was fighting Greyback, and Allister was trying to protect Fax from the four guardians long enough for her to cast the spell. After Rosalina and Bowser made it to the field, they turned around and saw the castle being torn apart. "Quite a beautiful sight, isn't it brother?" ,asked Hollister who appeared right behind Bowser. Rosalina was then quickly pushed to the side as Bowser entered in combat with his younger brother. As soon as Fax made it up to the alter, she saw a blast come flying straight for her, ducking, she missed it but it caught hold of Allister, rapping him in a huge energy field. "Fax, do it now!" ,Allister shouted as Fax prepared to perform the spell. She raised her wand, but nothing happened. "I don't understand, what's wrong?" ,she asked Luigi who was in the command center under the castle. "You must not have enough power, you look pretty worn out. Suddenly, Fax was hit by one of the guardians, bringing her to her knees. She heard a sound coming from above her, suddenly a bright bubble appeared and stood right in front of her. It was her sister Callista come to protect her. "Callista? Luigi what is she doing here?" ,Fax asked as Callista formed a shield in front of them both. The guardians started firing constant beams of lighting as Callista's shield began to receive them. "I get it now! Fax, Callista is using her shield to absorb their attacks and transfer the power to you, you have to perform the spell now!" ,Luigi said as Fax's eyes widened. "I can't do it, I have to protect her, she's the only thing I have left!" ,Fax cried as she tried to blast down the guardians with some quick long range spells. "Fax if you don't do it, then she'll have sacrificed herself for nothing!" ,Luigi shouted as he stood up from his seat, pounding the computer desk.

The shield began to crack under the pressure, as the attacks it was receiving increased strength. Callista was losing control of it, as Fax got up to perform the spell. All of a sudden, the shield broke apart, sending Callista flying backward down the edge of the cliff, heading straight for the water. "Fax…Fax…wake up!" ,shouted Rosalina as she tried to shake Fax awake. Finally she awoke, in tears. "What was going on up there, you were crying and rolling around…are you ok?" ,Rosalina asked. "Yes, I'm ok…I'm gonna go take a walk…" ,Fax said as she got up and headed out the door of the house. Rosalina just stood there for a moment, worrying about her friend, wishing she had followed her out.

Peach and Crystal had decided to take a trip to the mall, and instead of staying at the house bored, Allister decided to tag along. The trip didn't turn out the way he thought it would, with him having to carry the majority of the bags, stand outside in a girls clothing store while Peach and Crystal tried on clothes, and walk into uncomfortable places in the stores. "I think I should have stayed home…" ,Allister let out a great sigh as Crystal walked by him giggling. "I warned you!" ,Peach said as they walked past a bridal store. Instantly Peach backed up, the store having caught her eye. "Oh no…" ,Crystal said as she smiled. "Oh…I wish it could happen to me…" ,Peach said as she stood in awe of the dresses on display outside the store. Allister began to blush as he smiled big. He then quickly changed expressions to a more stupid, not really paying attention look as Crystal turned around to speak to him. "You know we're gonna have to go in right?" ,she asked as Peach opened the door and entered, not really caring for Allister's opinion. "I don't care…" ,he said as he followed the girls in. Peach took one step in the place and instantly her eyes were fixed on a particular white gown with pink lace. "Oh my gosh!" ,she mumbled as she pictured a scene in her head. She was standing in a large hallway, wearing the same dress, waiting on her love to arrive. "Wake up girl friend!" ,Crystal shouted as Peach popped out of her day dream. "Umm…sir can you help me?" ,asked the clerk of the store. Allister and the girls turned around to see the woman standing beside to large boxes. "I need someone to carry these boxes to storage for me, and you're the only one I see that looks…strong enough to do it…" ,the clerk said in a flirting manner. "Umm…sure…I guess ma'am…" ,Allister replied confused at her invitation. "Oh no she didn't!" ,Peach whispered to Crystal as both of them watched Allister walk back to the storage room with the boxes. "I'm sorry girls but the store is closing in…now!" ,the clerk shouted as she pushed them both out the door and locked the place up tight. "There is something hugely wrong here!" ,Peach said to Crystal as the two of them continued to bang on the windows and the door. "Hey! Ladies is there a problem here?" ,said the mall cop as he ran up to stop the girls.

"Hmm…I wonder where I'm supposed to sit these?" ,Allister whispered to himself as he looked around the room. "Oh, anywhere will be fine!" ,the clerk said as she stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her. "Um…ok…" ,Allister said as he began to sweat. "What's wrong? I don't bite!" ,the clerk said as she reached down in her pocket, pulling out a deck of cards. "What are you doing?" ,Allister asked as he dropped the boxes in the floor. "Tell me Allister…do you like to play cards?" ,she asked as she shuffled the deck, chuckling under her breadth. "Umm…I guess…hey, how did you know my name?" ,he replied as she held up a blank card in her hand. "Your about to find out!" ,the clerk shouted as the card began to glow, sucking Allister's soul inside it. "Well that was easy…" ,the woman said as she stared at the card. "My name is Corona, and I need your strong soul…trust me, I plan to put it to good use…" ,she giggled as she placed the card back in the deck and put it back in her pocket, leaving behind the empty building.

"Mother, I am here…I need to speak with you!" ,Rosalina said in her mind as she attempted to contact her mother. "Yes my darling, I am with you…" ,Lucinda replied. "Mother, what is going on…this new evil I feel…what is it?" ,Rosalina asked as the two of them walked and talked. "It is something that I had to deal with in my lifetime…my sister, Corona, she fell into very dark temptations…there was a man named Rocmar…he was a foul man, but he and my sister fell madly in love, to the point that my sister aided him in his quest for power…finally when our mother and father saw that I was the one that they could count on to protect the kingdom, they entrusted me with the throne…my sister resented this and so Rocmar and his followers tried to take me down…after realizing my sister would not listen to me, I transformed Rocmar into a dragon…and sealed him inside a stone tablet, never to be reawakened…but now my sister has returned, determined to set him free once more!" ,Queen Lucinda explained as Rosalina took it all in, trying to understand. "So, how is she going to do it…and how can I stop her?" ,she asked her mother as she tried to continue. Rosalina apologized for her interrupting words as her mother continued. "The only way the curse can be lifted on him is if he consumes the power of seven warriors of the past…the only way she can be stopped is if you find the seven warriors from the star kingdom, and awaken their true powers…only then can they aid you and destroy Rocmar's soul forever…" ,Queen Lucinda said as they stopped walking. "It shall be done!" ,Rosalina said with confidence. "You are so brave my darling, but do not walk into this battle unprepared…Rocmar is stong! I must leave you now…" ,Lucinda said as she turned to her daughter, placing her hand on Rosalina's cheek. "I'm glad we can do this mom…I miss you so much!" ,Rosalina said as she held onto her mom's hand and closed her eyes, while the tears ran down her face. "I am too darling…I am too…" ,Lucinda said as she faded away.

That night, Bowser was fast asleep, deep in a dream or rather a vision…The atmosphere was dark and cold, he could only see two figures, but he knew exactly who they were. "My queen, your powers are strong, but you are still too weak to do this…" ,said Beldam. "No! I am strong enough! She will die, and this time…I will not fail!" ,shouted the Shadow Queen as she slapped her servant across the face. Bowser began to sweat and groan as he rolled around in his bed. "The time is coming close…and we must…be ready! Do not fail me this time Beldam!" ,shouted the Queen as she sent Beldam, Marylin, and Vivian off. She then limped over to the window of the room, staring out at the view of Mushroom Castle. "Rosalina Toadstool, I shall have victory…no matter how many times I have to try…this war will rage on!" ,she chuckled. Bowser then woke up, covered in sweat as he jumped to his feet and ran towards Rosalina and Fax's room.

Fax heard a large bang on the door as she rose out of bed and walked over to the door, opening it to see an excited Bowser. "What is it?" ,Fax mumbled half asleep. "The Shadow Queen is back!" ,Bowser shouted. Suddenly the whole house awoke and rushed to the room. "What the freak are you talking about…Rosalina killed her off Bowser, we both saw it…now everyone get back to bed!" ,Fax shouted in anger. "It's true, I swear…where is Rosalina?" ,Bowser asked. "She's in her father's study." ,Fax said as she slammed the door. Bowser quickly shoved everyone else aside and ran for the study. "Rosalina!" ,he shouted as he opened the secret passage and saw he sitting at her father's desk. "Bowser? My gosh…what happened to you?" ,Rosalina said seeing him all torn up and sweaty. "The…Shadow Queen…is back…" ,Bowser said quietly expecting a huge freak out moment from her. "…I know…" ,Rosalina said calmly sipping her tea. Bowser was dumbfounded at her response. "What?" ,he said as he closed the door behind him. "Well…you didn't honestly think I had finished her off that easily did you?" ,Rosalina asked as Bowser remembered what happened.

Rosalina fell to the floor, looking at the Shadow Queen who came walking towards her. "This is it…you foolish brat…no more shall you continue to survive my attacks!" ,Arabella said, struggling to catch her breadth. Rosalina noticed the sword was laying right in front of her, she quickly crawled towards it, attempting to grab it as the Shadow Queen placed her right foot on top of it, keeping it at bay. "Hahaha, resistance is futile, oh I do enjoy your feeble attempts to try and stop me!" ,chuckled Arabella as Rosalina watched her in misery. Suddenly the sword began to glow, Arabella noticing it's shine from beneath her. The sword than blasted her back on the ground, attaching itself to Rosalina's hand. Arabella rose to her feet as did Rosalina, knowing what was about to happen, Arabella made one last attempt to stop her by sending out a blast of dark energy which Rosalina blocked with the sword. The sword then reacted, clearing a path through the beam, allowing Rosalina to take a deep breadth and throw the sword at Arabella. The sword flew through the air as Arabella tried to dodge, but before she could move the sword entered through her chest. Dripping in blood, Arabella fell to her knees as her eyes released a black smoke along with her mouth, until nothing but black smoke was seen, releasing itself into the air. After the smoke had retreated, Rosalina could see her body dark and shriveled, the Shadow Queen was dead.

"But that was a very convincing death! Me and Fax were standing right there when it happened!" ,Bowser argued. Before Rosalina responded she took another sip of her tea and sighed. "Bowser…Arabella…was just a pawn of the Shadow Queen…the Queen's actual soul still exists…and as of now, I still have not figured out a way to destroy her soul…you see…a thousand years ago when she destroyed the old kingdom, and the four guardians sealed her away…they destroyed her true body…when Grodus released her, she possessed Peach…when Mario defeated her, she left Peach's body…and later found Arabella…every time she has been fought and defeated, instead of just dying off, she fled from the person she was using…" ,Rosalina explained. "So what you're saying is that, Arabella and the Shadow Queen were two different people?" ,Bowser asked. "Yes, exactly right…my guess is the only way we can defeat her, and rid the world of her spreading evil, is to keep her from having a host, and then take her down…" ,Rosalina said as she got up from her father's desk. "So we have another job then?" ,Bowser asked reluctantly. "Exactly…" ,Rosalina replied as the two of them left the room.

That same night, Peach called Crystal wondering if she knew about Allister. "Hello?" ,Crystal mumbled from being half asleep. "Umm, Crystal…Allister never came back to the house…" ,Peach whispered, hoping that Rosalina and Fax, who were sleeping away in the beds across from her, did not hear her. "What! We need to go back to the mall then!" ,Crystal shouted. "Um…I'm not a night shopper!" ,Peach said sarcastically. "Just shut up and meet me there in ten minutes!" ,Crystal said before hanging up.

The two girls met that night in front of the mall as they tried to figure out a way to get in. "We could just use the front door!" ,Peach said. "You idiot, I don't want to go to jail, I'm sure there is security in there. Let's go through the back!" ,Crystal whispered as the two of them rushed to the back of the mall, slowly breaking the door to the bridal shop open. "Are you sure this is it?" ,Peach asked as Crystal continued to pry the door open. "Yes…I'm…sure…why else…would…it say Bridals are us…on the door?" ,Crystal asked sarcastically as she opened the door, leading them into the empty storage room. "What! I don't understand, did they just pack up everything over night?" ,Peach whispered as they both looked around the rooms. The storage room was empty, the main shopping area was empty. It was as if there hadn't been a store there for years. "I have a feeling that this wasn't a real store to begin with…I knew there was something off about that clerk!" ,Peach whispered. "Ya think? Someone's coming!" ,Crystal whispered loudly as she pulled Peach behind the front desk. They both watched as a security officer walked by the windows, looking inside the store to make sure he didn't see anything, finally walking off giving the girls some relief. "Let's get out of here, he obviously isn't here…" ,Crystal whispered as her and Peach crawled out of the room, through the storage area, and out the back door of the store.

"We made it!" ,Crystal let out a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind them. "Yeah but what about Allister…we sure have some explaining to do there!" ,Peach said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "That's for sure!" ,said Bowser who was standing behind Crystal the whole time. "Whaa!" ,Crystal shouted as she leaped into the air higher than any normal person ever could. Bowser chuckled a little before turning back to a serious face. "Now…what's all this about Allister missing?" ,Bowser asked. "Why the hell did you scare me for?" ,Crystal whispered as she tried to shake off her fright. "I believe my question is more important right now…" ,Bowser said as he smirked. "Ok fine…Peach you tell him!" ,Crystal said as she shoved Peach in front of her. "Ok…it goes like this…so me, Crystal, and Allister went shopping today right…and we went in side this bridal shop…so the clerk inside was trying to be all seductive with Allister…asked him to take some boxes to the storage room…and after he went in there…she pushed us out of the store and locked it up tight…" ,Peach said. "I see, and you didn't even try to enter the back like you were just doing right now?" ,Bowser asked. "No…" ,both answered as they hung their heads. "And you just left the mall?" ,Bowser asked. "Yes…" ,both answered. "We were expecting him to come back to the house…you know…he's a big boy…but…" ,Peach was interrupted. "But instead of looking for him, when that 'Clerk' had him go back to the storage room and pushed you guys out, you…didn't you guys find it just a bit suspicious?" ,Bowser asked in confusion. "Sort of…" ,they both answered with their heads held low.

"Ya know…the one on the left looks right, but I think the girl on the right ought to color her hair blonde…at least then you'd have a reason for being so stupid…" ,chuckled a woman who warped in behind the group. "Who are you!" ,Bowser asked. The woman giggled as she looked down, twirling her hair around. "The names…Corona…I'm the one who stole your boy friend…" ,she giggled as Bowser began to clench his fists. "Why did you do it?" ,Peach asked. "Because I need his energy…it will…help me out so to speak…" ,Corona replied, showing some amusement in her tone. "You bring him back now!" ,Crystal shouted in a threatening voice. "Or what…If you couldn't even figure it out that I was faking the store earlier…what makes you think you can handle me now?" ,Corona asked as she reached in her pocket. "What are you doing?" ,Bowser asked as the three of them stepped back. "Let's play a game of cards…shall we?" ,Corona giggled as she shuffled the deck a held up a card that had Allister on it. "Is this your man?" ,she said laughing maniacally. "Give him back!" ,Peach screamed as she leaped forward trying to attack. "Don't think so cutie!" ,Corona shouted as she held up and empty card, trapping Peach inside. "What the heck are we dealing with?" ,Crystal asked Bowser. "Hmm…well I can't use you, but I'll at least let you rest." ,Corona said as she threw the card in the air, sending back towards the house. "That's it! Static E!" ,Crystal shouted as a powerful storm of lighting blasted towards Corona. Instead of running or even warping away, Corona just held up one of the empty cards, allowing it to absorb the lighting.

"Is that all you got?" ,Corona asked. "Yeah, but that's not all we got!" ,shouted Birdy as she leaped in followed by Toadette, Haylee, and Timpani. "Feel the wrath of the seas! Ocean Brave Tsunami!" ,Toadette shouted as she guided a rush of water towards a surprised Corona. Corona was then blasted back for she did not expect any surprise attacks. "Don't think so girl, your not taking this one's soul!" ,shouted Timpani as she turned and looked at Bowser. "What?" ,Bowser asked in confusion. "We'll explain later! Mind Rattling Wind Buster!" ,Birdy said as she called forth a gust of wind, hurling Corona into the air. "I don't think so girls…maybe another time!" ,Corona shouted as she warped away. "Well now that that is over…I guess I owe you guys an explanation…" ,Timpani said.

"So that's what's going on?" ,Bowser asked in shock. "Yes, she needs the souls of the seven warriors from the Star Kingdom…" ,Timpani replied. "Who else is one of the warriors?" ,Peach asked as Birdy laughed. "You need to catch up on come history…" ,Birdy mumbled as Toadette slapped her back. "Well…obviously…Bowser and Allister are, and also Titan…as for the other four, even my powers of fore sight do not help me…" ,Timpani replied. "Well…with that being said let's leave Mr. Marauder and the blonde chicks for now…" ,Birdy laughed as she walked off. "I'm not like that anymore!" ,Bowser shouted. "I'm sorry about that…" ,Toadette said as she turned and followed Birdy, Haylee and Timpani bowing before following as well. "So what now?" ,asked Peach. "Well, you and Bowser need to talk to Rosalina…I on the other hand, have some sleep to catch up on at home!" ,Crystal said, stretching her arms and yawning. "Really…you mean at that cheap rundown place you crash in?" ,Peach mumbled. "What was that?" ,Crystal asked in anger. "Uh…nothing, le…let's go Bowser…" ,Peach said as her and Bowser split ways with Crystal.

"Mother…it's me again…we have a huge problem…" ,Rosalina said as she walked through the clear corridor of her mind. "Your friend Allister…he has been captured…" ,Lucinda replied. "Yes, we now know that Bowser and Titan are two others, but how can we find the other four?" ,asked Rosalina. "No…don't look for them…they will come to you when the time is right…you cannot rush destiny…" ,Lucinda replied before leaving once more. "Mother…mother?" ,Rosalina shouted before she was caught back in sleep.

Corona walked into the dark cave, holding up the card that held Allister inside. "Rocmar…I have him, one of the seven…" ,she said as she walked closer to the stone tablet. "Excellent…place him on the pedestal in onve of the seven slots…" ,Rocmar whispered as Corona kneeled down to the pedestal and did as he asked. She stood back up, placing her face against his, rubbing his stone head. "Soon…very soon we will have our revenge, and my sister is not here too stop us…" ,she said. "Yes, but her daughter is…and she is not one to reckon with…her powers if fully tapped into, could very well be stronger than her mother's…beware!" ,Rocmar said as Corona got up and left the room.

"My queen, shall we initiate our first move now?" ,asked Beldam. "No! We must wait, there is another force attempting to take down the girl…we must wait until Rosalina destroys her." ,said the Shadow Queen. "Are you sure she will my queen?" ,Beldam asked reluctantly. "You dare question me?" ,the Queen shouted as she turned and slapped Beldam in the face, knocking her to the floor. "She is not one to take lightly, but when the time is right…she will be mine!" ,said the Queen as she walked away.

The darkness is spreading…soon this world will face it's ultimate battle, but will Rosalina be ready when the time comes…or will she be lost forever?

**This is a stopping point for now. Just so everyone knows, my story will be split into parts. Part 1 is now officially complete with chapter 10. I will be taking a short break in between parts to be able to work on part 2 and take a breather. Thank you to all of you that have continued to read and I hope that everyone is enjoying the story so far, trust me it will be even better as part 2 progresses. As of now Part 2 Chapter 1 is scheduled to be released August 10th. I will continue to leave release dates at the end of every chapter from this point on. **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11~It's All In The Cards~

Fax walked into the kitchen to see Rosalina fixing a sandwich for lunch. "Where is everybody?" ,Fax asked. "Let's see…Peach went to meet Crystal so they could go shopping…Bowser's at his internship at the hospital…Rick and Qase are playing videogames…and Titan is still asleep." ,Rosalina said before taking a bight out of her sandwich. "Asleep! Not for long!" ,Fax shouted as she marched down the stairs to the boys room, busting the door wide open. "Titan Steven McClain, get up now!" ,Fax shouted as she threw one of her shoes at his head. "Ouch!" ,he yelped as he jumped out of bed and stood at attention. "What do you call yourself doing mister?" ,Fax asked. "Um…not sleeping…ma'am" ,Titan answered. "I didn't think so!" ,Fax shouted as she dismissed him.

After retrieving the mail, Rosalina went back to the kitchen and sat down to check it. "Junk, junk, junk, junk, and more junk…ah wait a minute!" ,she said excitedly as she found a letter from her cousin, Langdon. "Dear Rosalina: Do you remember what you said about allowing me to come down and live at your house…well things have been getting worse for me at home, and so I would like to take you up on your offer…so I should be there on August 1st. Love, your handsome cousin, Langdon." Rosalina had somewhat of a awkward face as she worried about what Fax would say, considering the fact that Langdon was given this opportunity back when Rosalina still owned the house, but Rosalina turned the house over to Fax when she was leaving for college. "Fax is going to crap once she sees this!" ,Rosalina thought in her head as she tried to figure up a good story to tell her. Suddenly a knock came on the front door. "I'll get it!" ,shouted Fax as she ran up the stairs. "Oh no…what if it's Langdon, he has been known to show up early for things!" ,Rosalina thought as she rushed to beat Fax to the door. Rosalina quickly latched on to Fax, trying to keep her from moving. "Allow me to get the door!" ,she shouted as Fax struggled to break free. "No, I insist on getting it myself!" ,Fax shouted back, and with one strong gust of force, she broke loose and unlocked the door. "Noooo!" ,Rosalina shouted as Fax opened the door to see a long time friend, Fracshon, looking strangely at her. "What was going on in here?" ,Fracshon asked as Rosalina rushed over and hugged him. "Never mind about that…Bowser's gonna be so glad to see ya, let's go in the kitchen and talk!" ,Rosalina said as she drug him to the kitchen. Fax poured some tea and placed it on the table for the three of them to drink while they conversed. "So what are you doing here?" ,Fax asked as she passed out the tea cups. "Well, I've actually been visiting my friends and family over summer break before college classes start back, and I decided to come by and see if I could stay for a few…maybe a month…" ,Fracshon blushed knowing this was too much to ask. "Well of course you can…but don't classes start this month?" ,Fax asked. "Not for seniors, we get an extra month off for summer…it's pretty sweet knowing that I still have one more month!" ,Fracshon replied with a grin.

All of a sudden a red car pulled up in front of the house, and a woman stepped out. "Damn, I missed him, he's already inside…" ,said Corona as kicked the concrete. She took a minute to look at her list, seeing the faces of Bowser, Fracshon, Titan, Mario, Luigi, and a strangely familiar wolf. "Well I guess it's off to plumber boy's house!" ,she laughed as she got back in the car and drove off. "Fax, Rosalina!" ,shouted Rick and Qase as they ran into the kitchen. "What is it boys?" ,Rosalina asked. "Corona's been sighted, she was just here a minute ago, and we're tracking her via the computer network in the lab!" ,Qase shouted as everyone headed for the lab. "So, Commander, where is she now?" ,Rosalina asked as the Commander pointed to the screen. "She's headed for the Mario brother's home." ,she replied. "Oh no, they must be two of the seven warriors!" ,Fax shouted. "Yes, it's odd, but I remember them being a part of my mother's military forces. "We have to go now!" ,shouted Fax. "But who's gonna watch the baby, I mean I can't expect Rick and Qase to do it, since there just kids…and Fracshon shouldn't have to do it, giving the fact that he just got here…" ,Rosalina said. "What…baby?" ,Fracshon asked with a confused and surprised look on his face. "Long story, I'll explain later…" ,Rosalina said. "Say no more, old reliable Pauline is here!" ,shouted Pauline from across the room. "Oh thank you, you're a life saver!" ,Rosalina shouted as she hugged Pauline. "Ok, let's get changed!" ,Fax shouted as Fracshon became more and more confused. "I see you guys have been busy…some more than others…" ,Fracshon smirked as he looked over at Rosalina. "Gross, definitely not now…it's not like that!" ,Rosalina said as she shook her head in disgust. "Super Star Acceleration!" ,Fax shouted as she transformed into her uniform. "Star Celestial Power!" ,Rosalina shouted, also transforming into her battle armor. "Ok girl let's roll…" ,Fax shouted. "Hey, I'm coming too!" ,Fracshon shouted as he ran over to the girls, warping away with them.

A knock was heard on the door of the Mario home… "Hey bro, will you get that!" ,Luigi hollered as he continued to cook dinner. "Sure…" ,Mario mumbled as he went to the door. "Hello sir, could I interest you in some free space?" ,the woman asked as she reached through her suitcase for a brochure. "Free space?" ,Mario asked. "Why yes sir, I am a sales person for a mini storage company, and I was wondering if you would like to purchase one of our storage units?" ,she asked. "Um, sorry but we don't need a whole lot of extra space…" ,Mario said as he began to close the door. "Sir wait! At least take one of these brochures!" ,the woman shouted. "I guess…" ,Mario said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. The woman pulled out an empty card in her hand as she held it up to Mario's face. "This is a brochure?" ,Mario asked as he looked at it. "No, it's some free space…enjoy it!" ,Corona shouted as Mario was sucked into the card and the saleswoman melted to the ground. "Well that was easy…" ,Corona giggled as she walked up and picked the card up. "Now to go in and get number two…" ,she said as she proceeded into the house. "Bro, who was that?" ,Luigi asked. "Me!" ,Corona responded. Before Luigi could even turn around to see who "Me" was, he was sucked into the card. "Nice addition…I guess…" ,Corona chuckled as she put the cards away. "you came in with three, now prepare to go out with zero!" ,Rosalina shouted as she ran up and attempted to punch Corona. "Is that all you got?" ,Corona asked, catching Rosalina's fist and sending her flying the other way. "Take this!" ,Fax shouted as she kicked her directly in the stomach. "You're gonna pay for that!" ,Corona said as she fell over, blood spewing from her mouth. "Give us the cards!" ,Rosalina shouted. "Even if I did, you wouldn't know how to free your pathetic friends! Besides, one of them isn't even here" ,Corona said. "Bring him back then!" ,Fracshon shouted as he burst into the room, prying the Mario and Luigi cards out of her hands. "Go Fracshon!" ,Fax shouted. Rosalina thought for a moment, coming to the conclusion that it may not have been a good idea to bring Fracshon along. "Yes, I've found another one!" ,Corona whispered as she pulled out another card. "Fracshon, no!" ,Rosalina shouted, but it was too late, Fracshon had been sucked into the card. "What?" ,Fax mumbled in shock. "You evil bitch…bring them back!" ,Rosalina shouted as she tried to chase down Corona who had warped away. "No!" ,Rosalina whispered as she fell to the floor in tears. Fax didn't say a word and she could not move from where she stood. "No…how can we be so reckless…" ,Rosalina mumbled under her breadth as she sat there, defeated.

"We've lost four now…how can I be fit as a queen if I can't even protect my friends…" ,Rosalina said as Fax began to get angry. "I'm not even worthy to be leader of the girls…" ,Rosalina continued. "Stop it!" ,Fax shouted as she slapped Rosalina in the face. "Don't you dare quit on me now! You've always been the one to hold it together…and…and now you're deciding to give up!" ,Fax shouted in tears. "What else can I do…I've not been able to protect anyone…all I've done is lose four people…" ,Rosalina said. "One of those four people was lost because of me and Crystal…not you…and listen to me…if this isn't a worse time to give up…then I don't know what is…you've fought ice witches, ghosts, vampires, werewolves…you even fought off a thousand year old demon to protect this place and it's people…and now you want to give up everything that you have sacrificed so much for…Rosalina…I can't see you this way, it…it sickens me to see my leader like this…" ,Fax said as she turned away. "She's right…" ,said Bowser as he walked in the room over to Rosalina. "I know she is…I just feel so useless…but I guess I can't watch my kingdom be at peace if I don't do something about it…" ,Rosalina said as she got up, Fax turning around with a smile on her face. "All right then, let's show this witch what we're made of!" ,Bowser shouted as he and the girls warped back home.

That night, Rosalina had decided to contact her mother once more. "Mother, please answerer me…" ,she pleaded as she stood there in the chamber of her mind. "My darling, why do you beg…I would never deny your company…" ,answered Queen Lucinda, walking into view from behind Rosalina. "Oh mother, we've lost three more…and…I scared myself today…I began to show signs of…weakness mother and I've never done that before…there is just something about that woman that gives me a strange feeling…" ,Rosalina said, looking down at the floor. "Sweetheart…look at me…everyone has there own moment of weakness…that doesn't make you weak…it just makes you a person…you are so much more than you realize…but tell me what else bothers you besides my dark sister…" ,Lucinda said trying to calm Rosalina down and get to the bottom of her frustration. "…I…I wouldn't admit it…but I am very worried about the Shadow Queens return, she wants to destroy me so bad…that this time I fear I don't…have a chance…" ,Rosalina said as she began to cry.

"My dear…I wish I could reveal your destiny to you, but I can't…know this…whatever happens, everything is going to work out…that is, only if you stay faithful…and always remember where you came from!" ,Lucinda said, wiping the tears away from her daughter's cheeks and disappearing into the light. Rosalina then was able to calm down enough to go to sleep.

"Rocmar, we now have four total. I was able to collect the two brothers and another dragon on top of that, I've gotta say, these chumps are easier to beat than I thought." ,Corona laughed as she placed the three new cards in the proper slots on the pedestal. "Excellent, soon we will be able to take over!" ,Rocmar whispered as Corona came over to the stone tablet and sat in front. "Soon, we can be together again my love, my sister fought well, but it was all in vain…" ,Corona said as she placed her hand on the stone, imagining she was stroking Rocmar's fire red mane.

"Titan, now you are going to be nice and respectful aren't you?" ,Qase asked as him and his brother pulled into their father's driveway. "If he doesn't try to cause a fuss, then I'll be fine…" ,Titan said as he put the truck in park and proceeded to get out. "Ding dong…" ,the door chimed as Mr. McClain came to the door. "Oh…hello Titan…and hey there Qase!" ,he said as he welcomed them in to sit and talk. "So what are you two doing?" ,said Mr. McClain. "We just thought we would come visit you dad, we haven't seen you in a while!" ,Qase piped up after seeing Titan, who looked like he wasn't paying any attention. "Well…that was very nice of you Qase…" ,Mr. McClain began to grow disappointed in his oldest son, he had thought that the issues between them were settled long ago. "Titan…is there something you wanted to say?" ,Qase said giving him a shove. "Not really, no…" ,Titan mumbled as he looked out the window. "Qase, can you give me and your brother a moment or two…you can play with the dog out in the back yard…" ,Mr. McClure asked as Qase jumped up, glad to leave the awkward silence. "Son, why are you being this way…I thought things were better…" ,said Mr. McClure. "No! How could you possibly think that! You always treated me terrible, punished me for things that weren't my fault…and…after mom died…things got worse, you left me alone…you cared more for Qase than me…Qase was fine, I was the one that was hurting every night in my room, not sleeping, but crying…the one getting picked on at school…the one that…just forget it, you didn't care then so why would you care now!" ,Titan shouted before turning around and heading for the door. Mr. McClure laid his hand on Titan's shoulder, stopping him from leaving. "I know son…I was wrong, all of it was my fault, there was no excuse for the way I treated you…the abuse that I put you through, the abandonment you felt…it's all true, I did it to you…but I changed my ways, I just haven't gotten to prove myself because you left…could you forgive me at all?" ,he asked as Titan grabbed hold of the door. "I'll have to think about it…but don't expect me to welcome you back with open arms!" ,Titan said as he exited out the door, hollering for Qase to follow him.

"How touching…father and son…" ,chuckled Corona who was standing right beside the truck. "Get away witch! I'm not going with you!" ,Titan shouted as he stood in front of Qase. Mr. McClure looked out the window to see what was going on before jumping out the door. "Stay away from my sons!" ,he shouted as he leaped in front of both of them. "How sweet gramps, but I'm afraid you can't do anything to stop me!" ,Corona laughed as she held up three empty cards. "What are you doing?" ,Qase shouted as he activated his wrist watch. Fax felt her watch vibrate as she activated it, Rosalina, Peach, and Crystal standing next to her. "I'm taking your brother, and if you insist…then I will deal with you two also!" ,Corona said before holding up the cards and sucking Titan, Qase, and their father inside. "Oh no, we have to get to Mr. McClure's house now!" ,Fax shouted. "Star Celestial Power!" "Star Thunder Power!" "Super Star Acceleration!" In one blink of an eye, the girls were gone.

Corona was escaping just as the girls were arriving. "Sorry girls, but you're late as usual!" ,Corona said as she warped away. Titan was gone, but Peach noticed two cards lying on the driveway. "Girls, it's Qase and Mr. McClure!" ,she shouted as she picked up the cards. "Great, and how do we free them?" ,Rosalina asked in the hopes that someone had an idea. "Well, I might just be able to find something in one of my spell books, but I'm not sure…this is some strange magic…" ,Fax mumbled as she examined the cards. "Well, there are only two more warriors left, Bowser and whoever…" ,Peach said. "Yes, and the thing is, I can't remember who the last one is, it's like he's been erased from my memory." ,Rosalina said as she tried hard to think of who it could be.

"Have you found anything yet?" ,Peach asked for the tenth time as Fax continued to pace the room, searching her spell books. "No…that can't be it…but if…no it won't work…" ,Fax mumbled to herself, paying no attention to Peach's question. Rosalina was sitting in one of the chairs trying to figure out who the other warrior could be. Peach gave out a big sigh as she walked over to the door to leave. "That's it!" ,Rosalina shouted as Fax and Peach both turned around at attention. "What is?" ,Peach asked. "I know who the last one is…I can't believe I didn't think of it before…the only person it could possibly be is…Toad!" ,Rosalina shouted in excitement. "Toad…really?" ,Peach and Fax said unconvinced. "Yes, he's the only one I can think of that helped in my mother's military besides everyone that's been captured." ,Rosalina said. "Well…what about Dante?" ,Peach asked. "Yeah, but after we defeated…thought we defeated the Shadow Queen, he took the Door of Light to live in Eternia." ,Fax answered. "So then maybe it is toad…" ,Peach said. The three of them continued to think about what to do next. "I'll be right back…" ,Rosalina said as she left the room, planning to contact her mother.

"Mother…it is me…I need a word with you…" ,Rosalina spoke clearly as she was transported to that place inside her mind. "Yes my darling, your eager tone suggests that you have figured something out…" ,Lucinda replied. "Yes…uh…well I think anyway…is Toad the last warrior?" ,Rosalina asked hoping that her mother would say yes. "My dear, I told you that you were smart, I knew you could do it…but do not celebrate yet…you must keep Bowser and Toad safe…surely my sister will try and get them soon…as for the Shadow Queen…her power grows…but she is still without a body, but I sense that she is waiting…hiding…plotting her return…" ,Lucinda said. "Yes, I will deal with her soon enough…" ,Rosalina said, but Lucinda began to tear up, for she knew what fate Rosalina had when the time came around…there was no way around it, it had to be done… "I know you will darling…" ,Lucinda said, holding back her tears. Rosalina then came back to Fax and Peach. "It is Toad! I can't explain how I know for sure, but it is…we have to go to his house now!" ,Rosalina rushed as the other two loyally followed behind her.

Toad was happily cooking something for dinner at his home when he heard his front door open. "Hello?" ,he said as he walked over slowly to the exit of the kitchen. "Who's there?" ,he shouted as he picked up the broom from the supply closet and started for the living room. "Show yourself!" ,he demanded as he turned the corner and saw a shadow. "Hi there!" ,said Corona as she walked further in the house. "Who…who are you?" ,he asked. "My name is Corona, and I wanted to do something really quick!" ,she replied. "I…I'm married!" ,Toad replied before being laughed at. "Did you honestly think that's what I meant?" ,Corona said chuckling away. "Honey, who is it?" ,Toadiko asked as she ran in the room. "Toadiko, stay away!" ,Toad shouted. "Well, this is your wife? Nice to meet you, but my time is short!" ,Corona said. "Well get out you bi…" ,Corona slit Toadiko's throat before she could even finish her sentence. "To…t…t…t…Toadiko…" ,Toad stuttered as he fell to the floor holding his now dead wife. "How sad!" ,Corona said as she held up a card, sucking Toad inside and warping away.

Rosalina, Peach, and Fax arrived at Toad's house to notice that the door was opened. The slowly walked into the house as they saw blood running down the hallway, revealing Toadiko. "No!" ,Rosalina shouted as she ran to Toadiko who was already dead. "Damn, we're late!" ,Peach shouted as she slammed her fist against the wall. Toad was gone, and now only Bowser remained.

The Shadow Queen floated down the staircase to chase after Fax and Titan, shooting blast after blast of dark magic towards them. "Tell me where she is!" ,she shouted but Fax and Titan would not break, instead they kept running. "Hurry Rose, this way!" ,Fracshon whispered as he guided Rosalina to a tunnel underneath the castle. Suddenly, Rosalina saw in her mind, Fax and Titan running from the Shadow Queen's attacks. "No, I have to go back!" ,Rosalina shouted as she went towards the staircases, Fracshon shouting for her to come back. The Queen had the two of them trapped in a corner when suddenly Rosalina dove forward and knocked her over. "It's me you want!" ,she shouted as the Queen rose to her feet. "You foolish girl!" ,she shouted as she slowly followed Rosalina up the stairs. "Bet you can't catch me!" ,Rosalina shouted with a smile as she flew upward and broke through the ceiling, the Queen following behind. "Give up!" ,the Queen shouted as she chased Rosalina down until they stopped on top of the north tower. "There's nowhere else to run child!" ,the Shadow Queen taunted as Rosalina backed up toward the edge of the tower. "Who said anything about running?" ,Rosalina said as she stood completely still.

"This is what you wanted, now finish me…" ,Rosalina said as she closed her eyes and took one big breadth. "So be it…" ,the Queen said before shooting Rosalina clear off the tower. Rosalina fell fast and hard, but she would not move for she knew that everything would be ok… Suddenly, Bowser woke up from his sleep, sweating and taking in deep breadths.

"My sweet, only one more left!" ,Corona shouted in pleasure as she stepped up to the pedestal, placing the card of Toad on it. "Perfect, soon we shall be together, and nothing will stop us!" ,Rocmar shouted, as the two of them shared laughter.

"Bowser, I'm really scared now, you're the only one left, and if you go then I don't know if I can do this…alone…" ,Rosalina said. "You won't be alone!" ,Bowser whispered in her ear. Corona arrived at the house undisguised, and completely ready to do her work. "This one will be terribly easy…" ,she said as she held up and empty card. It began to glow with dark magic as a beam shot out, heading straight for Bowser. "But what if I can't protect you, what if catches you by surprise?" ,Rosalina asked holding her head down. "Rosalina…I'll be with you no matter what, even if she gets me…you'll know what to do…you always do…" ,Bowser said as the beam came around the corner and captured Bowser inside. "No!" ,Rosalina shouted as she ran in the house and down the stairs to the front door. The girls followed her to the front of the house as well as Rick. "Mighty nice doing business with you!" ,Corona chuckled as she took the card and warped away. "No!" ,Rosalina shouted again as she pounded the ground with her fist. "What do we do now?" Rick asked. "We fight!" ,Rosalina mumbled as Peach and Fax looked at her. "We don't even no where she is?" ,Peach stated. "I don't care…she will pay…for taking everybody…and for everything she did in my mother's time…she will be defeated!" ,Rosalina shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping that Corona had heard her. Corona stood suspended in mid air, listening to Rosalina from a distance. "Well, if that's what you believe then come on!" ,she whispered to herself as she warped away in laughter.

That night, Birdy, Toadette, and Haylee showed up at the house to meet with Rosalina. "I was wondering how long it would take you guys…" ,Rosalina whispered as the three girls jumped out from the darkness of the night. "The waves of darkness are crashing in, we must do something now…" ,Toadette said. Rosalina turned to Haylee to make her request. "It's true what you said before…you can warp me to where she is?" ,Rosalina asked. "Yes, I can do it…but are you sure you want to go alone?" ,Haylee asked. "Yes, I must go alone, I've already caused enough trouble…let's go out into the yard to do it, I don't want the girls to know…" ,Rosalina whispered as she walked down the stairs and started towards the yard. Toadette, Birdy, and Haylee stood in a circle around Rosalina as they held hands to perform the teleportation. "Fax! Fax!" ,Peach shouted. Fax rushed up the stairs as fast as she could. "What is it?" ,Fax asked. "Look out the window!" ,Peach shouted as the two of them saw Rosalina, Birdy, Toadette, and Haylee. "Oh no, she's going alone!" ,Fax mumbled as she ran for the door to stop her. "Ok, do it now!" ,Rosalina shouted as the area was illuminated with blue, pink, and yellow. "Rose no!" ,Fax shouted as she ran towards Rosalina, Peach trailing behind her, but it was too late, Rosalina was gone.

"Where am I?" ,Rosalina whispered to herself as she rose up from the floor. It was a dark cave, that was all that could be made out until the candles in the room lit themselves. "Hello…" ,said Corona as she walked slowly into the room. "You…give me back my friends…why are you doing this!" ,Rosalina asked as Corona pointed to the stone tablet of Rocmar. "That's why I'm doing this…my sister…your foolish mother…she took everything from me…we loved each other, he was the only one who understood me…" ,Corona spoke as she held up the final card, Bowser. "He is evil…he tried to destroy worlds, do you really want that?" ,Rosalina asked. "If it means having him…then yes…" ,Corona said as she tossed the card, it flying directly for the pedestal. "No!" ,Rosalina shouted as the card landed and the stone tablet shattered. "Yes!" ,Corona whispered as she shoved Rosalina aside. "You have done it!" ,Rocmar mumbled as he examined his human body. "But…I thought you were a dragon?" ,Rosalina said. "It's true, but as I stayed imprisoned…I developed the ability to control my transformation…your silly mother didn't make me weaker…she made me stronger!" ,he shouted as the room was filled with powerful gusts of lightning. "Stop right there!" ,shouted Fax as her and all of the girls ran into the room. "My warriors come forth!" ,Rocmar shouted as many soldiers were formed from the dust of the ground. "Rose, I have the spell!" ,Fax shouted. Rosalina rushed over and grabbed the cards, heading over to Fax as fast as she could. "Ok, now!" ,Rosalina shouted. "Materia Anima!" ,Fax shouted as the cards began to glow, changing back into their original forms. "What, we're back!" ,Bowser said as him and the other boys looked around at the battle taking place. "No, this isn't over!" ,Rocmar shouted as he released a huge burst of fire that lit up the room, destroying everything in it's path. "Rocmar no!" ,Corona shouted as she was over run by the fires. "You fools will be consumed by my flame!" ,Rocmar shouted. "Run!" ,Rosalina screamed as everyone started to retreat from the cave. "Yes!" ,Rocmar shouted. Everyone was almost out of the cave when the fire immediately stopped.

Everyone stopped in their tracks as they heard a whisper, a whisper that was so chilling, it was as if death was standing right beside them all. "What is this!" ,Rocmar whispered to himself as he fell to the ground in pain. Suddenly a flash of lighting struck him, disintegrating him into nothing. "Rosalina…I will return…but for now, I shall let you and your friends rest…consider it your final moments to spend with your friends and family…" ,whispered the Shadow Queen, and suddenly the chill dispersed and the air was not cool. "What…was that!" ,Fracshon shouted. Rosalina walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "She's back…" ,Rosalina said.

"So what do we do now, do we need to secure the castle?" ,Peach asked as everyone followed Rosalina over to the cliff side, looking out across Castle Town. "Yes, we need to return there…despite my feelings that I am not fit to be there…it is where I belong, we have a fight ahead…and we need to be ready, so you all will be right there with me won't you?" ,Rosalina asked. "Yes!" ,Peach replied. "Nowhere else I'd rather be!" ,Fax chimed in. "You know I will!" ,Bowser said as he rapped his arms around her. Everyone else stood in agreement, while Birdy, Toadette, and Haylee were watching from a distance.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12~The Story~

Long ago…across the dimensions…on the dark side of the moon's reflection, was a kingdom…rested on the stars, a place Star Haven…it was a peaceful kingdom, ruled by Queen Lucinda and King Richard Toadstool…together they had a daughter, Rosalina Toadstool, their people were descendants of a race that was found on the planet nearest to their star…many years had passed…dear Rosalina grew to become a beautiful young woman…following in her mother's footsteps so that one day she would become queen…King Richard went to great lengths to make sure that Rosalina had everything she needed…and so it was that the king had an entire militia prepared for her…Bowser, was a top ranking general in the queen's armed forces…and Titan was the Commander in Chief of the princesses militia…

Queen Lucinda had many friends, many of them were queen's from other dimensions…five of the queen's had daughter's that the princess spent time with…but their job wasn't to just play with her, but to protect her…the princesses Fax, Peach, Daisy, Crystal, and Pauline where given special powers to be able to defend Rosalina if ever the time came…the princess over time came to fall in love with a general, Bowser, they spent lots of time together, trying not to get caught by any of the royal guards for if they knew then Bowser would likely be in big trouble…

Finally, the time of year that everyone from Star Haven loved, had arrived…it was time for the Starlight Ball…everyone from across the kingdom gathered for this event, even people from the world below came to take part in it… "Rosalina, down here!" ,Bowser whispered as Rosalina came to her window, looking down at him. "What is it?" ,Rosalina asked. "I have much to explain…can I come in?" ,Bowser asked. "Yes, of course…you know my mother doesn't mind." ,Rosalina said. Bowser climbed up the near by vines hanging from a tree just outside the window and leaped into the room. "Yes, your mother doesn't mind, but my men do…if they knew about this I more than likely would be terminated…" ,Bowser said. "No…I wouldn't let them!" ,Rosalina shouted. "That's very kind of you…but I have more important things to talk about…there is a strange evil force coming…it's power is unequal with enemies of the past…it seeks to destroy not only this kingdom, but the land below…you must warn your mother…" ,Bowser said as he looked out the window to make sure no one was listening. "I will…we will still be together won't we?" ,Rosalina asked trying to conceal her fear. "I wish I could say yes…but time is short…but we could at least have one last time…" ,Bowser paused as he created a blue rose in his hand. "What do you mean?" ,Rosalina asked as she took the rose, smelling the fresh petals. "Will you go to the ball with me?" ,Bowser asked as he knelt to one knee and extended his hand. Rosalina blushed for a moment, smiling and giggling. "Of course I would…but how will you be able to enter without being noticed?" ,Rosalina replied. "You will see…until then!" ,Bowser said as he leaped out the window and headed off.

"Girl, that was awesome!" ,said Fax as her and the other princesses entered the room. "I know! I am so excited about this!" ,Rosalina replied with glee. "What are you going to wear?" ,Peach asked. "I…don't know…" ,Rosalina replied as she began to realize that the ball was this night. "Oh my goodness…I have to get ready, fast!" ,Rosalina shouted as she rushed around the room to gather up things she would need to prepare, the other girls helping her.

Rosalina and the other girls entered the ball room that evening, seeing all of the coupled dancing and enjoying the refreshments. It was a beautiful sight to behold, everything was at peace. "My dear, there is someone here to see you…" ,giggled Queen Lucinda as she pointed toward a masked man in a suit of armor. Rosalina immediately realized who it was, and slowly walked towards him. "Um…sir, my date should have arrived moments ago, will you dance with me?" ,she asked as she giggled from the silliness of the affair. "Yes ma'am…I would be happy to oblige!" ,said Bowser as he took her hand and they walked over to the dance floor. "This is great Bow…I mean mister…" ,Rosalina said as she lay her head on his chest. "Yes, yes it is…" ,Bowser replied as they slowly danced towards the exit and out on the terrace. "Rosalina…there is more…" ,Bowser said as he took off his mask. "What more?" ,Rosalina replied in fear. "The dark forces are near, their leader…the Shadow Queen…she's ruthless, she will destroy anything and everything in her path…your mother has asked me to fight in the war that is coming…" ,Bowser said as he hung his head. Rosalina stopped to think for a moment before asking her next question. "But…you'll come back…right?" ,Rosalina hesitated to ask.

"I wish I could say yes…but I might not be able to…but you should know that you…will always be in my soul!" ,Bowser said. "I feel the exact same way…" ,Rosalina replied as the two leaned in for a kiss, Rosalina trying to conceal her tears until Bowser could no longer see her face. "I Wish this could last forever…" ,Rosalina whispered. "It will…in your heart…and in mine…" ,Bowser whispered back as the two continued to embrace. "I will never let you go…" ,Bowser continued.

On the other side of the kingdom, was the dark queen and her army, prepared for battle. Accompanying her were Hollister, Bowser's brother, and Callista, Fax's sister. "How beautiful…oh how glorious it will be to hear them squirm…you have my permission to attack…now…" ,said the queen in laughter before releasing her thousands of men and creatures to attack. Rosalina opened her eyes and saw them all, running towards the castle. "Bo…Bow…Bowser…they're here!" ,Rosalina whispered as Bowser turned around quickly. "Alert everyone…now!" ,Bowser shouted as he sent her off and pulled out his blade. "The moment of destiny has come…" ,he whispered to himself before going off into battle. "Alert! Everyone to the armaments…we're under attack!" ,Rosalina shouted as she ran through the castle trying to find her mother. Everyone was scurrying about, the bravest of men heading for the armaments and the cowards running for their lives. "Mother!" ,Rosalina shouted as she rushed up the north tower. She met her mother outside on the balcony of the tower, calm, as if she knew this was coming. "I know my darling…we are ready for whatever come…do you have the necklace I gave you?" ,Lucinda asked as Rosalina removed it from her bag. "Yes, mother…why?" ,Rosalina asked. "Come with me…I will explain…" ,Lucinda said as she took hold of Rosalina's hand and headed down the stairs. The other princesses were standing together at the front gates of the castle, dressed for battle, and ready to fight. "Ok…now!" ,Fax shouted as the shadow warriors blasted their way through the gates. The girls were fighting hard and so were the armed forces of the castle. Nothing in the area was untouched by blood or rust. Pillars began to crumble to the ground, the drapery and decorations were ripped completely off the walls and ceilings. Rosalina stood on the balcony with her necklace, prepared to transform into the armor that her mother had given her inside its magical shell, when the Shadow Queen appeared on the balcony. "Well, well, well…you must be Rosalina…I've heard all about you!" ,said the Queen. "Stay away from her!" ,Bowser shouted as he tossed a spear that he had found lying around, directly at her. "Well, that certainly wasn't nice!" ,said the queen as she blasted him off the balcony. "No!" ,Rosalina shouted, and with the last of the courage she had, she leaped off the balcony after Bowser. "She is a fool!" ,the queen said before entering further into the castle. "Rosalina no!" ,Bowser shouted as the two of them continued to plummet down the side of the castle. Fax turned around to see both of them, but it was too late, they had fallen to the bottom. "No!" ,she shouted. Titan and his friend Fracshon turned their heads to see their friend Bowser lying on the ground dead along with the princess. They knew that the only thing they could do was grieve as they fought, or else they would lose.

The Shadow Queen walked down the steps to a dimly lit corridor. "I wondered how long it would be before you arrived…" ,said Lucinda without turning around to see that it was the queen. "Then why are you hiding, while your dear sweet daughter is dead?" ,the queen said with laughter. Lucinda stopped moving, she was trying to breathe but it was difficult. "What…she…" ,Lucinda could not even finish what she was saying. "How pathetic…what have you now that your precious heir is no more?" ,the queen asked. "Hope…" ,Lucinda whispered as she took her hand and placed it over a sword that was lying on a small stone pedestal in front of her. "My daughter will not be dead…not if I can help it…" ,Lucinda mumbled as the dark queen looked at her pain. Lucinda held up the sword, high in the air as the leader of her council, Merlon, walked in. "My queen…what are you doing?" ,he asked. "I'm saving my daughter's future!" ,Lucinda replied. "No, you'll lose your strength!" ,Merlon said. "What?" ,the dark queen said as she took a step backwards. "Star Sword Eliminate!" ,Lucinda shouted as the sword began to glow.

All of a sudden, the fighting outside stopped as a beam of light swept across the land, eliminating everything and everyone that had tried to come against the kingdom. Leaving everyone else standing around in confusion, until they rushed over to the princess. "That's enough…" ,whispered the Shadow Queen as she slipped a dagger out from behind her. "Lucinda watch out!" ,Merlon shouted as her used his magic to suspend the dark queen's arm in the air. "Merlon…it's no use…it's over…" ,Lucinda said as she fell to the ground, dropping the sword. "Rosalina…speak to me!" ,Fax shouted as she shook the princess, hoping that she would wake up. "You fool!" ,the dark queen shouted before knocking Merlon to the side.

"I have put up with your idiot servants enough!" ,the queen shouted as she walked toward Lucinda. "Now, you will be silenced…" ,Lucinda whispered as the two of them shot a blast at each other, connecting in the center. Merlon watched in helplessness at his queen's weakness. "You're finished!" ,the dark queen shouted. Lucinda took hold of the sword and pointed it at the queen, firing and even more powerful blast, knocking the queen back against the wall and onto the floor. "I…will…return…and then your daughter will pay…the price…" ,the queen finished before turning to dark smoke and vanishing.

"My queen!" ,Merlon shouted as he rushed over to Lucinda who was too weak to get up. "Merlon…will you do me a favor?" ,Lucinda asked. "Anything…" ,Merlon replied. "Protect my daughter and her…true love…they are the key to our kingdoms future…I have prepared everything you will need for them inside the power of this sword…it will transport you all to the world below…and you will all be reborn to start anew…but be warned the queen will come back…so make sure that my daughter and everyone else…meets again at the appropriate time…" ,Lucinda said. "Yes…my queen…" ,Merlon said, tears rolling down his wrinkled face. "I love you my darling, may we meet again soon…" ,Lucinda said before taking her last breadth, and as she did the sword reacted and everyone was warped away, leaving the old queen behind…

And then it was, that a new kingdom was established, the Mushroom Kingdom, on the surface of what came to be known as the Mushroom World…many years had passed when a man and his wife had a daughter that they names Peach, the princess of the kingdom…Peach grew up with many friends; Rosalina, Fax, Daisy, Crystal, Pauline, Titan, Bowser, and Fracshon. They spent lots of time together, practically sticking together day and night. But soon one day, it was all revealed and in a miraculous turn of events, it was discovered, the past of the kingdom and it's origin, but with this great discovery came great consequences…Peach's parents became ill, and in a single night, she lost both of them. It was then that Peach had decided that she would become a follower, and hand over her crown to the true princess, Rosalina, but Rosalina being in her modesty stated that she would not receive the crown until her eighteenth birthday, thus leaving the castle and buying a home for her and her friends to live in. Peach's old adviser, Merlon, had come into their friendship not long after that, and it was revealed that Merlon was indeed Rosalina's father in disguise…

Everything seemed peaceful, until the day of Rosalina's sixteenth birthday. After a long hard fight with the enemy, Hollister and Callista, Merlon was captured. The group fought to save him, but it was too late, and so he was dead. But this was not the end…a dear friend from the groups school, had also been captured, and in a single moment, all was revealed, the Shadow Queen's soul remained…it took hold of the girl and with a flash of light, she was reborn as Arabella! From then on, the road was long and hard, the group knew that it was up to them to find the queen and stop her from repeating what she did to Star Haven. And so it was that Rosalina, Bowser and Fax, set out on an adventure to find the Sword of Light, that same sword that Lucinda used to stop the queen the first time…many moons rose and set, as the three teens journeyed across the lands of the Mushroom World, searching for the sword and keeping in touch with everyone back home when they could.

It had been exactly a year before the group had actually found the sword…and so with the sword in hand, they returned to the kingdom. Everyone had a great reunion, but the fun would not last, for the Arabella knew what had happened and she was not going to let Rosalina succeed. A great battle took place across the kingdom, in many different parts of the world and so on. Rosalina and Arabella fought long and hard with each other. Fax and Callista were reunited and fought with each other against the evil. Bowser had to once again fight his brother Hollister, this time he was under the queen's complete control.

The Shadow Queen had an even stronger army this time, with most of them being dead soldiers come back to life, including Hollister. Fax then knew of a spell that could weaken the queen by destroying her undead warriors, but as she was about to activate it, she was attacked by four people, the four creators of the Mushroom World, that the Shadow Queen had brought back to life. Callista stepped in long enough for Fax to activate the spell, but it was too late to save Callista, by the time the spell was cast, Callista was cast off the edge of a cliff into the waters below.

It was then up to Rosalina to do the rest. She chased Arabella around the kingdom, stopping to fight in various places until finally the Queen was weak enough that she could not warp anymore. The moment was at hand, as the queen fired an endless blast of dark energy at Rosalina, who was blocking by the power of the sword. Rosalina concentrated her powers enough that the sword reacted, creating a straight path in the middle of the shadow beam, and there it was Rosalina's shot. She took a deep breadth and launched the sword, it flew in the air and hit the queen square in the chest. Arabella then fell to her knees, blood gushing from her chest, as her skin turned pale and then gray, her eyes blackened as smoke escaped from them along with her mouth. Her whole body shriveled into nothing as the smoke rose and dispersed into the air.

The battle was over…after a nice celebration, it was time for everything to change. Rosalina and Bowser had plans to get married that fall, while they graduated from school along with Fax, Crystal, and Pauline. They went off to college to pursue their dreams, Pauline went off to a Culinary school and Crystal went on to audition for Mushroom Idol, while Fax stayed at the house, that Rosalina had turned over to her, with Titan Fracshon and everyone else. Fracshon then later went off to college himself. Everything was peaceful, that is until now…the true final battle is about to take place, but this time can the group destroy the Shadow Queen…and can they finally have the peace that they need?


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13*Kiss of Death*

Everyone returned to Castle Town, but before going home they decided to head over to the teen club, Neon Green. It was karaoke night and everyone was pushing Crystal to sign up and show off her God-given talents. "But I don't like to show off!" ,she said as everyone continued to push her towards the sign up desk. "We want to hear you sing!" ,Fax shouted, trying to get a riot started. "Stop it…fine, I'll sign up!" ,Crystal finally gave in and signed her name on the sheet for the next slot. The group then went and sat down, listening to the girl that was currently singing. "Wow, that's terrible…" ,Bowser said. Rosalina then stepped on his foot, the pain double from him wearing flip flops and her wearing high heels. "Ok, thank you very much…now on to our next singer, Crystal Mendez!" ,the announcer said trying to excite the crowd. "Well…here I go…" ,Crystal said before taking a deep breadth and walking on stage. She told the DJ what she was going to sing and then prepared. The crowd began to shout for her even before she started to sing. It was fun for a while, but after she sang everyone headed for home to get some sleep before the big meeting the next day.

The next morning everyone met up in the living room. "Ok, now we all know why we're here…right?" ,Rosalina asked. "Yeah, we need a plan to kick the Shadow Queen's butt once and for all!" ,Allister chimed in. "Um…yeah, I guess you could say it that way." ,Rosalina said. "So what's the plan?" ,Peach asked. "Well…we have no choice…we need to move back to the castle…everyone of us!" ,Rosalina said. "What do we do with this place?" ,Fax asked. "We can leave it be, we could always come back her later, I don't care…it's your house now…" ,Rosalina said. "Ok, so I guess we need to get packing, but is there enough room for everyone?" ,Bowser asked. "More than enough…" ,Rosalina replied. "Ok, then let's get prepared!" ,Haylee said as she stood up. "Ok, meeting adjourned." ,Rosalina said before everyone went their separate ways to pack up their belongings.

That night, after arriving at the castle, everyone began to go around picking which rooms they wanted to have. "Ok, as soon as your done, meeting in the conference room!" ,said Rosalina as she walked up the stairs and took in the feeling have peace from entering her true home. "You're glad to be back aren't you rose?" ,Bowser said as they both continued to walk to Rosalina's bedroom. "Yes, I feel very happy about being back here!" ,Rosalina replied as she opened the door to her room. "Me too…" ,Bowser said as he took her suitcases and set them aside before closing the door. "Bowser…don't even!" ,she said hastily. "Do what?" ,Bowser said in a half-innocent tone. "I'm not playing these games with…" ,Rosalina stopped as she felt dizzy, dropping to the floor. "Ro…Rosalina, what's wrong?" ,Bowser said as he knelt down to her. She lay there unresponsive as she saw a vision. "My queen, now?" ,Beldam asked as she walked up to her master. "Yes, the time is now!" ,said the Shadow Queen before warping away. "Bowser…she's…she's coming here…" ,Rosalina said nervously as she tried to gather her thoughts. "I'll alert everybody!" ,Bowser said as he ran out of the room. Rosalina struggled to climb onto her bed, shivering in a fear that she had never felt before. "Mother…mother I need you…" ,she whispered. "My darling, do not be afraid, you know what to do!" ,Lucinda said without even making an appearance. Rosalina thought for a moment before realizing. "The Crystal Stars!" ,she whispered to herself.

"The Shadow Queen is coming!" ,Bowser shouted at the top of his lungs. Everyone immediately sprang out from their rooms and came to the foyer. "Are you sure?" ,Fax asked. "Yes, Rosalina saw her!" ,Bowser said before he went with Titan, Allister, and Fracshon to warn the people of Castle Town and to gather reinforcements. Fax, Peach, Crystal, Daisy, and Pauline walked outside to the front courtyard of the castle. "Ok girls, get in formation around the castle…we have to create the five-point star barrier!" ,Fax said as all of the girls got into formation. "Fire!" ,Peach shouted as her powers activated. "Water!" ,said Daisy. "Lightning!" ,shouted Crystal. "Air!" ,shouted Pauline. "Light!" ,shouted Fax. Within seconds, the barrier was surrounding the castle. Everyone was scattering about the castle trying to figure out where they needed to be, and what they needed to be doing. Bowser and the other boys, managed to find places for all of the women and children to stay, while all of the men in the kingdom headed to the castle to prepare for battle.

"Rick, Qase…I need your help!" ,Rosalina said as she rushed down the stairs to the boys and the commander. "What is it?" ,Qase asked. "I need to get to the Crystal Stars, they're the only things I can think of right now that could help hold off the Shadow Queen!" ,Rosalina said. "Give us a few minutes and we'll have 'em tracked down for ya!" ,Rick said with a smile as the boys and the commander rushed to the computer lab. "What do you want us to do?" ,said Toadette as she walked up to Rosalina, carrying the baby, while Birdy and Haylee followed. "Um, have one of the maids take the baby and you guys prepare for battle!" ,Rosalina said in a rush.

Meanwhile, in front of the Castle Town gates, stood the Shadow Queen and all of her followers. "My queen, should we strike now?" ,asked Beldam. "No! Not now you fool, I need a body…Greyback….go find the girl I have requested!" ,said the queen before Greyback warped away. "Hold steady girls!" ,shouted Fax in encouragement to the others. Greyback warped over to Peach and instantly snatched her away. "No!" ,shouted Crystal as the barrier instantly broke. "What do we do now?" ,Pauline asked. "Don't worry, we're here!" ,said Birdy as she got into position. "Ok, the barriers back up now! Toadette, Haylee…warn Rosalina about Peach!" ,Fax shouted before the two girls ran back inside. "Ok, we have good news and bad news!" ,said Rick to Rosalina as him and Qase ran to her. "Lay it on me!" ,Rosalina said as Toadette and Haylee also ran in to speak with her. "Good news, we found the stars…the bad news, they're inside the Palace of Shadow!" ,said Rick. Greyback has kidnapped Peach!" ,said Toadette. "Oh great, why would he…oh no…Toadette, Haylee…warp with me to the Palace…Rick and Qase, monitor the grounds outside the castle!" ,Rosalina said before warping away with the other girls.

At the entrance to the Palace, deep beneath the town of Rogueport, "We made it!" ,said Haylee. "Not quite…the Shadow Queen's in there too, she's going to try and use Peach as her new body!" ,Rosalina shouted as the three ran into the palace. They ran as fast as they could, while Greyback placed Peach's body on the pedestal and carved the symbol of shadows around her body. "Quickly, the girl is almost here!" ,the queen shouted. "No!" ,Rosalina shouted as she burst through the doors. The atmosphere felt like it was in slow motion as Rosalina, Toadette, and Haylee ran into the room. The candles in the room lit up in a black flame, as a bright light filled the room. The light then dimmed back to it's original view, revealing a newly revived demon. "Yes…I have been awakened!" ,said the new, Shadow Peach. The girls were then blasted back against the walls as Peach, Greyback, and Beldam warped away. "No…" ,Rosalina whispered as she fell to her knees. Toadette and Haylee looked down at the cold, hard floor in disappointment until Toadette spotted something glittering in the air. It was the seven Crystal Stars, lowering down to the ground. Rosalina looked up at them and suddenly her face lit up with excitement. "Yes, there's still hope!" ,Rosalina said as she rose to her feet and grabbed hold up the stars, instantly warping away with them along with Toadette and Haylee.

"Hmm hmmm hmmm…this is rich, they honestly think that this silly little barrier will keep me out…did they not learn the first time…or the second?" ,the Shadow Queen said before she began to lose her balance briefly. "My queen, are you alright?" ,Beldam asked. "Y…yes…this body…it is trying to reject me…but it will not last long…soon my powers…will be restored…" ,said the queen. "Excuse me my queen, I have something I need to take care of now…" ,said Greyback who spotted Titan and the other guys running back to the castle.

"Hurry, if they notice us, we'll be in a hell of a jam!" ,said Bowser. "Oh, I think you already are!" ,said Greyback who was standing right behind Titan. "Go on inside, I'll handle him!" ,said Titan. Bowser and the others made no hesitation to head inside, they knew that Titan would be mad if they did not listen. "Well brother, we meet again!" ,Greyback said with a smile. "Yeah, and for the last time…I'll make sure of it!" ,Titan said before the two drew their blades and went at it.

"Now I have what I need, we can begin!" ,said the queen before sending a powerful blast of dark magic towards the castle. "Hold together guys, this is gonna be a rough one!" ,said Fax as her and the others struggled to keep locked on to each other. "How…persistent…" ,said Peach before sending an even more powerful blast of energy at the barrier. The blast was too much for the girls as they all lost control, thus destroying the barrier. "Ok, we have to get ready, she'll be here soon, I'm sure of it!" ,Fax said as her and the other girls retreated into the castle.

"Ok, go now!" ,the queen said calmly before letting her forces attack. "Titan, you have some skill to be sure, but this is the end of you!" ,said Greyback as the two continued to strike at each other. "Stop this! You don't understand what you're doing Greyback…the Shadow Queen doesn't care about you, at the end of the day she'll kill you too!" ,Titan said trying to reason with his brother. "You're lying, I always resented the fact that dad loved you more, he cared more about you than he did me!" ,Greyback said. Titan instantly remembered saying the same exact thing to his father about Qase. "That's not true, you know that dad loved all of us, he always has and always will!" ,Titan shouted. Greyback slashed Titan across the chest with his blade as Titan nearly cut Greyback's right arm off.

Rosalina, Toadette, and Haylee appeared back in the foyer of the castle along with the stars. "Ok, what now?" ,asked Toadette. "Rosalina, the barrier is broken, she's coming!" ,Fax said before a large explosion blew half of the front wall completely down, Allowing a flow of different dark creatures and magic users. "Hurry Fax!" ,Rosalina said as she ran up the stairs with the stars. Bowser also followed from behind while the girls, Fracshon, and Allister fought all of the enemies, along with the other men that came to defend the castle. "To my room…quickly!" ,shouted Rosalina as her and the others ran up the stairs.

"Titan, quit playing games with me!" ,Greyback shouted as he searched through the forest. Titan continued to switch hiding places from behind trees and bushed, trying to keep Greyback guessing. "Titan!" ,Greyback shouted as he proceeded to start chopping down trees and slashing up bushes. "I don't know how long I can keep this up…I sure hope Rosalina does something fast!" ,Titan whispered to himself as he continued to shift spots.

The fight raged on inside the castle, continuing to escalate into more and more danger. "Allister, watch out!" ,Fracshon shouted trying to warn him of the incoming piece of brick that was flying directly for his head, dodging it like a pro he went straight back into combat. "The roof is about to cave in on us!" ,shouted Peach as everyone looked up. "Quick, get close to me everyone!" ,shouted Haylee. She fell to her knees and lifted her hands, creating a covering over the group as the ceiling fell on top of it, breaking apart. Everyone then got out from under the barrier and continued to fight.

Rick, Qase, and the commander were deep under the castle in the lab, watching the Shadow Queens every move. "Where is she going?" ,asked Rick as the queen began to walk away from the castle. "She's headed towards…the house!" ,Qase said. "She knows we're watching her…she's gonna try and get in here, code red!" ,shouted the Commander as she prepared everybody inside for an attack.

"Rosalina, what are we doing in here?" ,asked Fax as her and Bowser kept the door closed. "Just hang on a sec!" ,Rosalina said as she levitated off the ground with the stars, raising them high in the air. "Sealing power activate!" ,she shouted, trying to use the power of the stars to seal away the queen and her reinforcements. It was working until the energy given off by the stars reached the queen. Suddenly, Rosalina felt a rush of dark power as she was blasted to the ground. The stars then became overloaded with power and shattered into pieces. "No!" ,Bowser shouted. "It's ok, I managed to at least take out all of the people within the castle…" ,Rosalina said, taking in a deep breadth. Everyone then released a great sigh of relief as Bowser, Rosalina, and Fax came back down to the foyer. "What happened?" ,asked Birdy. "No time to explain, the Shadow Queen will more then likely come back here soon…so rest up while you can!" ,Rosalina said as she walked out onto the broken down bridge in front of the castle, looking at the night sky. "It's beautiful…isn't it?" ,Bowser said as he walked up to her. "Yes…yes it is…that's why I must do anything and everything to protect this place…so that everyone can enjoy it!" ,Rosalina said. "Don't worry…we will…" ,Bowser said as he put his arm around her shoulder. "Bowser…take care of the kingdom…" ,Rosalina whispered. "Huh?" ,Bowser asked. "Noth…nothing…you're right…we'll take care of things!" ,said Rosalina quickly before walking back to the others.

"Well, I give up for now…but mark my words, the next time we meet…it will be to say goodbye!" ,Greyback said before retreating. Titan then came out of hiding, letting off a big sigh and scratching the back of his head in relief. He then quickly ran back to the castle to meet with the others and get the latest news.

Suddenly, there was a big explosion…the house was completely torn apart, and the queen found the entrance to the lab. "Stay calm, and be prepared!" ,said the commander. The only sound heard, was the heartbeat of everyone in the room. The queen calmly made her way down the elevator shaft until arriving in the room. Rick began to sweat while Qase quietly said goodbye, hoping that Titan could here him. There wasn't a sound to be heard across the room as the queen took one step closer. Until, she used her powers and tore the whole room apart. Within a split second, everyone in the castle felt a cold chill. "Oh no, the lab…THE BOYS!" ,Rosalina shouted as she fell to the ground. "NOOOOOO!" ,Peach screamed as she too fell to the ground. Titan began to whimper and moan as he felt a pain in his stomach, he struggled to reach the door into the east wing of the castle. "Titan!" ,Bowser shouted as he rushed over to help him in. Titan couldn't even get a word out as he continued to mourn over losing Qase. Suddenly, the Shadow Queen walked out from amongst the rubble of the house in slight laughter, as Greyback joined her. "If they think they had something to worry about before…" ,she said as she looked at the damaged castle.

**The group is about to face their toughest decisions, their toughest fears, and their toughest enemy of all time once again, but can they do it? Because of an error, I have been forced to right the release dates prior to release of each chapter, I have been unable to edit it in after uploading each chapter so, since none of you were able to see the release dates before on chapters 11 and 12, I have released this chapter ealier than expected. Therefore, chapter 14 will be released Aug. 19, thank you for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14*Loretta*

"And now it begins…" ,said the evil queen as she raised her hands in the air, looking up at the bright blue sky above. The air suddenly turned cold as the sky turned to a dark shade of purple. Lightning began to strike rapidly across the area as a huge, endless storm of dark energy swarmed the land. "What is this for your majesty?" ,Greyback asked. "It's the beginning of my new establishment…come, we have work to do!" ,said the queen before walking off into the distance, Greyback following like a lost pup.

"Oh Bowser, this is horrible, it was bad enough that my people had to suffer last night through the terrible battle, and now they have to look up at the sky and see this!" ,said Rosalina as she looked up at the dark, gloomy sky. Bowser placed his right hand on her shoulder and took his left hand and held her head. "We'll get through this…don't worry yourself to death about it…everything is going to be ok!" ,Bowser said before walking off to go help with the repairs. "Yeah…everything's going to be…ok…" ,Rosalina mumbled under her breadth before walking back in the castle.

"My queen, are you alright?" ,Greyback asked as he saw her collapse onto the floor. "I…I…no…I will not lose…this body…she's trying to reject me!" ,said the queen as she struggled to get up, latching on to anything she could. "Wha…what should I do?" ,Greyback asked. "Leave me be…the time is coming close…revive my strongest warriors…I'll handle the rest…" ,she said as she tried to keep control. Greyback departed to carry out his mission while the Shadow Queen continued to struggle. "Stop it you fool!" ,she shouted as she picked up a wine glass and threw it against the wall. "No, you'll never win this!" ,Peach said through the queen trying her hardest to fight back. "You…are of no significance now…this is my body now!" ,the queen said as she wobbled over to her chair, collapsing in it. "No!" ,Peach shouted before being weakened. "That's better…you would do well not to repeat that!" ,the queen said as she sat in her chair trying to relax.

In a dark space, sat Peach. "Will I ever get out of here?" ,she asked her self. "It depends on if you try hard enough…" ,said a young girl who happened to walk up to Peach. "Who are you?" ,asked Peach as she rose to her feet to meet the girl. "My name is Loretta…" ,the girl replied. "Where exactly are we?" ,Peach asked. Loretta turned her face and looked down, hesitant to answer. "If I told you, you would hate me…" ,Loretta said softly. "What…no I wouldn't…besides I don't even know you…" ,Peach said. "Yes you do…the place we are at is…is…my mind…I am…the Shadow Queen…" ,Loretta said. Peach did not reply as she was in a state of shock of meeting a girl who looked like she wouldn't even harm anyone saying such a thing. "I didn't choose to be this way…it…is my destiny to bring destruction upon this world…a prophecy that I could not control…from the day of my birth…I was plagued with this task…" ,Loretta said. Peach's heart began to ache seeing the girl's tears fall down her face. "I…why would you think that it was out of your hands?" ,Peach asked. "Because…it is not my decision…the prophecy of darkness was placed on my life…and that is out of my control…the woman you see on the outside…is not how I want to be…the reason I am so gentle right now…is because I am the better part of her…struggling to break free…but I am not able to…because I am not supposed to…your princess is supposed to destroy me…" ,Loretta said. "Hey…don't be so gloom…we will get out of this together!" ,Peach said. Loretta looked up in amazement. "Really…it can be done?" ,she asked. "Of course it can, Rosalina will know what to do…but first, I need to know exactly what happened to you…" ,Peach said with a grin. "If you seek knowledge, then you must enter through there…" ,Loretta said as she pointed to an open door. "Ok, I'll be back!" ,Peach said as she walked towards the door. "Please…do not forsake me…when you see what happened…" ,Loretta said as more tears began to accumulate. Peach turned around and looked at her with a smile. "I learned something from my friend Rosalina, and so I will tell you what she told me when I was down…no matter what…I will never abandon you…" ,Peach said before walking through the door to a brightly lit room.

She walked forward until the door disappeared behind her, revealing a little girl about the age of twelve. The scene formed around Peach to reveal the girl at the front door of a house, allowing her parents and her newly born sister to enter. "Christina, would you kindly go and prepare the crib for your sister please?" ,the mother asked. "Yes mummy!" ,the little girl replied before running up the stairs. The mother looked down at the baby girl along with the father. "She's beautiful, isn't she charles." ,the mother said as she smiled big as their hearts began to fill with warmth. "Yes, she is…" ,said the father.

The scene changed to a dark corridor, the mother of the child was collapsed in the floor crying and pleading to a minister. "I am sorry, but it shall be…" ,said the minister as he looked away from the woman. "It just can't be…not my baby girl…not my Loretta!" ,the woman cried out for help until finally the minister turned around. "The only thing I can tell you is…pray…pray hard…and hope that God have mercy on her…otherwise…she will become the darkness that shall end our world…until a girl of pure heart comes and vanquishes her…that is all I will say…" ,said the minister before walking away.

"What in the world…" ,Peach whispered to herself in confusion as the scene changed again. This time, the mother walked down the hall of the house and into Loretta's room. She saw that she was already asleep, so she walked over to her bed, knelt down to her, and began to pray over her. Loretta's father then walked down the hall with her sister, as they passed Loretta's room, her sister glanced in at her mother, weeping and praying. The girl was slightly confused being as she was only fourteen. Her father realized that she was watching, so he decided to shut the door and continue on to take Christina to bed.

The scene then changed to the kitchen, this was five years later. Loretta's mother and father, Alice and Charles, were conversing about their daughter with the curse. "I'm concerned Charles…I don't want this for my baby…and I don't even know when it is going to start…" ,Alice said as she paced around the room. "We need to tell her…" ,Charles said with a stressful look on his face. "I know…but I want her to be able to feel happy and free…at least for a little while longer…", Alice said. Little did they know, the two girls were in the other room, listening to everything they said. Loretta ran up to her room, crying as Christina followed.

"Loretta, you don't understand, they just wanted to protect you…" ,Christina said as she tried to console her sister. "But how could they keep something so…disastrous from me?" ,Loretta said as she continued to cry. Christina didn't know what to say to explain further for she was unsure about everything as well.

Peach began to swell with tears as the scene changed yet again. This time Loretta was now nine and she was in her room with her mother. "My darling, I know that you are upset about your father's passing…but it will get better…" ,Alice said. "Get better…how in the world could it get better…I guess now's the time to talk…I already know what is going to happen to me…" ,Loretta said as she got up from her mother's lap. "What are you talking about…" ,Alice said, hoping that Loretta didn't know the truth. "You've been lying to me this whole time, I know the truth…about how I'm evil…about how I am to destroy the world…and about how one day…a girl of pure heart will come and destroy me…how could you mother…how could you keep this from me?" ,Loretta shouted in anger. "Loretta I…I wanted to tell you, me and your father were going to tell you together…but then things got way out of hand…" ,Alice said as she looked down in shame. Christina walked over to the door, listening in on the conversation as it soured. "Why would you do this to me…why would you put me through this?" ,Loretta asked. "I only wanted you to enjoy as much of a free, happy life as you could…before…" ,Alice was cut off. "Before I destroyed the world…mother…no, you wicked creature…you wretched woman…you haven't made my life happy, nor have you made it free…if I truly am evil, as you say…then I shall begin what must be done now…and get it over with…" ,Loretta said as she turned towards her mother. "What do you mean…my darling…I…I…" ,Alice stopped as Loretta used her powers to electrocute her mother to death. "Love…you…" ,Alice managed to get out before she passed on. Christina burst open the door, nearly collapsing at the sight of her mother, and at the fact that her sister had done it. "Mother no!" ,she wailed as she fell to the floor cradling her mother. Loretta stood there with a an emotionless expression as the scene dissolved and Peach was taken back to where Loretta currently stood.

"So now you know…" ,Loretta said with almost the same expression as she had all those many years ago. "I…" Peach pause for a moment allowing Loretta to prepare for the worst reaction possible. "Am so sorry…" ,Peach continued. Loretta looked at her with somewhat of relief and shock. "You mean…you don't hate me?" ,Loretta asked. "No…why should I?" ,Peach asked. Loretta looked shocked once more by that question. "I will help you…me and my friends will all help you!" ,Peach said once again with a smile. "You…you will?" ,Loretta asked. "Yes, if you will let us…we'll open our hearts to you…" ,Peach said. "Th…thank…you…" ,Loretta said as she began to grow a smile. Suddenly the Shadow Queen arose from her seat in pain. "What is this?" ,she shouted as she began to grasp for breadth. "I will try and help you enter into contact with your friend Rosalina now!" ,Loretta said.

Rosalina went to her room and closed the door behind her. "I'm so glad I decided to leave the baby with Bowser's parents…I couldn't stand it if she had to see this…" ,Rosalina whispered to herself as she fell onto her bed, giving off a huge sigh. "I wish you were hear Peach, I need you here…I promise, I will get you back!" ,Rosalina said as she closed her eyes to rest. "I know you will…" ,echoed Peach as an image of her appeared across the room. "Huh?" ,Rosalina said sitting up in her bed quickly. "No time to explain this, but I must tell you what has happened!" ,Peach said before, Rosalina agreeing to listen to what she had to say.

Bowser, Allister, and Fracshon stood in front of a window, watching Titan pace around the garden in the back of the castle. "This has gotta suck for him!" ,Allister said. "I'm sure it does, Qase was the only brother he had…you know…that he could be with…" ,Bowser said. They continued to watch as Fax walked past and came to a halt, looking out the window as well. "I wish I knew what to do…if he continues to mourn like this…I hate to say it…but he's vulnerable to attack…" ,Fax said hesitantly before walking off in sadness.

"So that's what happened then?" ,Rosalina asked. "Yes, she was doomed to an eternity of darkness. "Well, in that case, I will help…but I still have no idea how to do it…I don't even know how to separate the Shadow Queen from your body…I do know that that is the only way I can truly defeat her though…I have to destroy her soul unarmed." ,Rosalina said as she contemplated what to do. "Well, I will let you think about it…good luck!" ,Peach said before disappearing. Rosalina then took a deep breadth and laid back on her bed to rest.

"No…I will not lose control…hurry…Greyback…hurry!" ,said the queen as she struggled once more to maintain control. "Rosalina will defeat you…she will do it!" ,spoke Loretta as she tried to fight back. "No…you will learn foolish girl…I am you…and I am queen…we cannot part…for as long as you live…mwahaha!" ,laughed the queen.

Greyback walked up to a large grave in the middle of the forest, placing a seed on top of the dirt. "That ought to do it…hmhmhm…" ,he chuckled as he stood back, watching the seed enter through the ground and a bright light shooting into the air. The grave burst open and a body lifted into the air. "I…am…free…!" ,said Valentina as she landed on her feet. "How nice to see you again…" ,Greyback whispered in her ear before leaning down to her neck. Valentina instantly pushed him aside and began to exercise her powers. "Did you honestly think I would go back for you…ha…I must see the queen immediately!" ,she said. "Yes, but first…you must call back Tray, Jewels, and Yin!" ,said Greyback with a grin. "Yes of course…" ,Valentina said and with a snap of her fingers, the three minions had returned from the soil of the ground. "Excellent, now off to the queen…" ,Greyback said as they all warped away.

Rosalina decided that she was going to consult the library for some information, and as she stepped out of her room she was stopped by Fax. "Where do you think you're going missy?" ,Fax said jokingly. "I was still trying to figure out a way to separate the Shadow Queen from Peach and so I thought I would go to the library to figure it out. "Hey, why don't you look up something about that ancient sword thingy!" ,Fax said. Rosalina at first thought that it would be ridiculous to do, but then she remembered her memories from the past in the Star Haven. "Fax…that's it! When my mother used the sword on the Shadow Queen, it destroyed her body and her soul disappeared…that's how I can do it!" ,Rosalina said in excitement. "Good, where is it?" ,Fax asked. "That's the problem…it's back at the house…that's the only secret entrance to my dad's old study and the only way into the room that contains the sword…it would be a dangerous trip to step foot out of the castle…and even if we warped there, we would have a whole mess to go through before we got in…" ,Rosalina said. "Then how do we do it?" ,Fax asked. "I don't know…nevertheless…we need that sword…give me some time to figure out something…go tell the others to prepare!" ,Rosalina said. Fax agreed and ran off to tell the others.

"Ok, so we just need to be ready for some huge action from now on?" ,Allister asked. "Yeah…pretty much, now…who is going with me and Rosalina to the house…we obviously can't all go…" ,Fax said as she looked to see volunteers. "Me, Titan, and Allister will go!" ,Bowser said. "Me, Haylee, and Toadette as well!" ,said Birdy. "Great…so then Pauline, Crystal, Allister, and the others will be staying here to hold down the fort!" ,Fax said as she walked off to tell Rosalina. She ran up the stairs as quick as she could to see that Rosalina was standing by her bedroom door still, looking as if she figured out what to do. "So…anything yet?" ,Fax asked. "Well honestly…we have no choice, we have to just go to the house and hope that there isn't much trouble…" ,Rosalina said calmly. "Ok, Me, Bowser, Fracshon, Titan, Haylee, Toadette, and Birdy are coming with you!" ,Fax said. "Ok, good…at least we will have enough strength to stand up if there is trouble, and I bet there will be!" ,Rosalina said as her and Fax walked back down the stairs.

"So are we ready?" ,asked Bowser, everyone standing there at the bottom of the stairs looking at Rosalina and Fax. "Yes, let's go…and stay strong…don't give in…and never forget where you came from!" ,Rosalina said as her and the group walked out through the front of the castle into the dark, terrifying storm that was tearing up the kingdom.

"Ok your majesty, I have brought everyone back!" ,said Greyback as him and the others walked into the room. "Just in time…I sense it…Rosalina and her fools are heading for the house I destroyed…" ,said the Shadow Queen. "Why your majesty?" ,asked Tray. "Because…there was something there I should have destroyed while I had the chance…you must stop them and get it before they do…the sword…the sword that that retched Lucinda weakened me with…never let them get it!" ,said the queen in a harsh tone. "Consider it done my queen, they won't know what hit 'em!" ,laughed Valentina. The group of baddies shared a laugh along with her before warping off to cause damage. ..

**Things are starting to come together now. Can Rosalina get to the sword in time, and how exactly is she going to reach the Shadow Queen? All will be told within the next few chapters as the story comes to a close. Stayed tuned as Chapter 15 releases on Aug. 25.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15*Apocalypse*

The group warped to the ruins of the house and with not much surprise, they were greeted by Tray, Greyback, Yin, Jewels, and Valentina. "Well, so you went and brought some reinforcements eh?" ,Titan said as everyone got in front of Rosalina. "Yep, and now it's time to raise hell!" ,Greyback said with laughter as him and Titan warped off into the distance to fight. Valentina and Jewels took on Haylee and Birdy, while Tray took on Bowser and Fracshon by himself. Meanwhile, Fax and Toadette helped Rosalina find the entrance to her father's study.

"How lovely to play with you again girls!" ,said Jewels as she went for Haylee's throat. Valentina was cheering from the sidelines, taking sips of her magarita she had. While on the other side, Titan and Greyback were not holding back. "Why do you keep doing this, she's going to destroy you too!" ,Titan shouted as he continued to dodge all of the slings of Greyback's sword. "She would never, I live to serve her!" ,said Greyback. "You can't trust her…you're a fool for thinking you can!" ,Titan shouted as he tried to strike back. "Then consider me a fool…like I really care!" ,Greyback said, this was enough for Titan. After hearing his brother say that, the connection was finally broken. "Than I shall do all in my power to put you down black pup…" ,Titan said as he jumped back to harness his energy. "Try your best little pup!" ,Greyback said with much amusement.

"Take this bitches!" ,shouted Tray as he fired a continuous blast of dark energy at Bowser and Fracshon. "We can't hold out much longer at this rate!" ,shouted Fracshon as him and Bowser continued to run from the barrage. "We have to hold out as long as we can…at least until Rosalina gets the sword!" ,Bowser shouted in encouragement to keep fighting.

Rosalina, Fax, and Toadette continued to dig through the rubble from the house, digging deeper and deeper until Rosalina spotted a hole in the ground along with a staircase. "I found it!" ,she shouted as Fax and Toadette ran over to look. "Ok, go down and get the sword…we'll guard this entrance…when you have it, give us the signal and we'll retreat back to the castle!" ,Fax said, and with a simple nod of the head, Rosalina rushed down the tunnel.

Rosalina made it to the study, entering through the large, wooden door. She walked around slowly for a moment to feel the peacefulness, until she went over to the bookshelf and removed one of the books, thus opening the secret passage to reveal the sword. She walked up to the sword and suddenly stopped, for she felt a cold chill as if something evil had entered the room. "Hello Rosalina…" ,said the Shadow Queen, Rosalina turned around quickly to see her long time rival. "We meet yet again, but soon you shall be finished!" ,said Rosalina. "Not quite!" ,said the Shadow Queen. She raised her right hand in the air and suddenly, time was stopped, all of the fighting above was frozen, only Rosalina and the queen were moving. "What are you doing?" ,Rosalina said. "Giving you and opportunity…surrender to me now…I have made it easy, your friends will never have to know…just give up, for if you don't…I will destroy every living thing, every boy, girl, man, woman, even infant…I will destroy this world and also others…now what say you?" ,said the Shadow Queen feeling as if she had already won the battle. Rosalina stood there for a moment, she knew she couldn't grab the sword and make a run for it, she had no alternative. "I…I've lost…so close but yet so far…",she whispered to herself as she fell to her knees in surrender. "Excellent…" ,said the queen in laughter. Rosalina dropped her head in failure until a bright light shined into the room. "What is this?" ,asked the queen in shock as her grip over time failed, allowing the battle above them to continue. Rosalina suddenly heard the sound of a heart, beating in a slow rhythm. "Don't give up…" ,said a still, small voice as Rosalina rose to her feet. "Now's the time…" ,echoed the voice once more, signaling Rosalina to take the sword. "I've come this far without giving up…guess I can wait a little longer!" ,Rosalina said as she reached back, pulling the sword from the stone pedestal and activating its power. "What?" ,shouted the queen as she was overcome by blinding light. "See ya later!" ,Rosalina shouted before warping away, giving the signal to the others to retreat. "What the hell?" ,shouted Tray as he watched the group fly towards the castle. The Shadow Queen then made it back out side in anger and frustration. "We must beat them there, now!" ,she shouted as her and her followers warped themselves. The race was on to reach the castle, but Rosalina knew they would never make it, so as a precaution she contacted Birdy and told her to get everyone away from the castle.

Rosalina then told everyone that was following her to stop and land. Watching the Shadow Queen and her followers enter the castle grounds, the rest of the team and the people that came to fight ran for the hills. "What are we doing?" ,Bowser shouted. "We had no choice, she would have made it anyway, and at least this way…we can all be together so we can plan!" ,Rosalina shouted back, Bowser then walked off to calm down. After a few moments, everyone was finally reunited with one another. "What do we do now?" ,asked Birdy. "We plan, then we attack!" ,Rosalina replied. Suddenly a loud sound was heard, and everyone looked towards the castle. And there it stood, a large force field, surrounding the castle. "This just keeps getting better and better…" ,Fax said sarcastically. "There will be none of that!" ,Rosalina shouted before holding her next remarks back and walking off to the woods. "What was that?" ,Pauline asked rhetorically.

Rosalina sat on a log out in the darkness of the woods, disappointed in herself. "What say you?" "I…I've lost…so close but yet so far…" Those words continued to ring through her head as she began to doubt herself. "Rosalina?" ,Fax said as she walked over to her semi-defeated friend. "What…do…you want?" ,Rosalina said as she turned quickly to wipe away her tears. "I want…to know what's wrong with my best friend…" ,Fax said as she sat down beside Rosalina. "I…it's just…for a moment there…when it was just me and the Shadow Queen, I…I…gave up…it wasn't until I felt overwhelmed with this…strange power…that I put that thought aside…but it still scares me that I even considered letting any of you down, or even any of my people down…what kind of a princess is that?" ,Rosalina asked. Fax got on her knees in front of Rosalina and grabbed on to her chin so as to make her look into her eyes. "A human one…we all make mistakes…you told me that yourself…and you know how many mistakes I've made! You didn't let me or anyone else down, and we still have a chance…and don't say that it was a "strange power," you know very well who it was…heck…you're the one who told me about him!" ,Fax said as she grew a smile, along with Rosalina. "Yes, it's just…it's been so long since I've talked to him, I feel as if I've lost his trust…" ,Rosalina said. "Rosalina Elizabeth Toadstool…how could he even…why would he even have a reason not to trust you…you're the one who brought him to every single one of us, whether or not we have chosen to accept him…it was because of you…you know he still loves you…now are we gonna sit here and cry all night, or are we gonna kick some demon butt?" ,Fax said. Rosalina cracked a smile before responding. "We're gonna kick some demon butt!" ,she said much to Fax's delight.

Fax and Rosalina walked back to the others, who were very much wondering where they had run off to. "Rose, are you ok?" ,Bowser asked as he walked over to her. "Yes…but now's the time to create our new strategy!" ,Rosalina said. "Well for starters, how are we gonna get through that humongous barrier?" ,Allister asked. "I have a feeling…that when the time is right, we'll be able to get in!" ,Rosalina said with a smile. Allister was a little confused at first, but the other's got what she was saying. "Ok, now listen up, we need all of the reinforcements we can get…Fracshon, do you think you can go speak with the dragon council?" ,Rosalina asked. "Of course, your majesty!" ,he replied with a smile before flying off. "Titan, get hold of the pack!" ,Rosalina commanded. "Yes ma'am!" ,he said before going off into the woods, howling to call the members. "Fax, we need as many witches and wizards as possible!" ,Rosalina instructed. "I'm on it!" ,Fax said before she warped away. "Ok, let's get it together…we have a war to fight people!" ,Bowser shouted as he trained all of the men from Castle Town on how to use their bows and arrows, their swords, and other weapons. Rosalina looked over towards the castle before bowing and closing her eyes, she put her hands together and proceeded to pray for help. "Please, give us the strength to succeed, I know I do not speak to you very often anymore…but give us the power to overcome our enemies!" ,she whispered.

"Wow, this place looks like shit!" ,said Valentina as she walked through the living area on the first floor of the castle. "It's definitely not much, but who cares…we won!" ,said Jewels. "Let's not get too cocky now…" ,said Yin as she walked in the room with a smirk on her face. "Well…whatever…I still say we won!" ,Jewels said with a laugh.

"Energy…I do not possess the proper energy I need to be able to stay in control of this body…" ,said the queen as she began to take in deep breadths. "What shall I do my queen? ,asked Greyback, desperate for some action. "Do nothing! Keep silent fool…" ,she shouted. Greyback then stepped back a bit and sat down like a good dog. "Very clever girl…but you will not undo me…", whispered the queen to Loretta as she and Peach continued to push for freedom. "This is my world now…and there is nothing you can do to stop it!" ,said the queen as she looked out on the balcony, watching the large storm continue to worsen. Tornadoes continued to spin wildly out of control, the seas were raging, the lightning began to emit a dark energy, it was complete chaos…just how the queen liked it to be.

"Rosalina, I've brought back reinforcements!" ,shouted Fax as an army of witches and warlocks followed. "Me too!" ,shouted Fracshon and Titan simultaneously, as a large pack of wolves came running and a large group of dragons came flying in. "Excellent…soon we'll be ready." ,said Rosalina. Rosalina then motioned for Fax, Pauline, Daisy, Toadette, Birdy, Haylee, and Crystal to follow her over to a large, open area. "Ok girls, let's suit up and practice using our powers!" ,Rosalina shouted. The girls formed a circle and transformed into their armor, for the final time, allowing the most of the Super Mushroom Girls to be reunited.

"My strength…soon…it shall return to me…no matter how much you try to push me away…" ,said the queen as she grabbed hold of a chair to regain her balance. "Come on Loretta, we have to figure out a way that we can regain control!" ,Shouted Peach. "Yes, but how…we've tried everything!" ,Loretta said. "I don't know…maybe we should just wait for Rosalina…" ,Peach said as she sat down. "That does seem like a more logical way…" ,Loretta said as she too sat down.

"Ok, girls, that was great training…I believe we're ready!" ,Rosalina shouted. The girls then traded high fives and hugs before returning to the rest of the group. Rosalina ran over to Bowser in an excited manor, running straight into his arms. "Wow…you're awfully happy!" ,Bowser laughed. "Yep, everything's coming together!" ,Rosalina said. "I guess it's time to call everyone over for a final meeting then?" ,Bowser asked. "Yep, but first…" ,Rosalina stopped and grabbed hold of Bowser's face, giving him a quick kiss. Bowser then blushed, clearing his throat to remain calm. "Hey, everyone over here!" ,Fax shouted.

Everyone that was in the area quickly rushed towards Rosalina, to hear what she had to say. "Ok, now everyone has put in some decent time on training, but now it's time…I think we're ready to go!" ,Rosalina said. "Are you sure we can beat her?" ,said a wolf from the background. Bowser then stepped in front in somewhat of anger. "Who do you think you're talkin to bub, of course she's sure, and if we work together…of course we can win!" ,Bowser shouted receiving a large cry from the crowd. "Thinks Bowser, but I have it under control honey…" ,Rosalina giggled as she continued on with her speech. "Now, I know that some of you may have doubts, but I'm here to say that…there is someone watching over us…over all of us…and if we believe in him, there's nothing we can't do…I hope after all of this, I can have time to explain what I just said more…but for now, you're gonna have to just trust me, now…who's ready to take back our kingdom!" ,Rosalina shouted also receiving a large cry from the crowd. "Then let's do it!" ,Fax shouted, and after the signal, all of the crowd, the princess, Bowser, the girls, and the Star Squad, ran toward the castle.

"My queen, they are coming this way!" ,said Greyback. Without turning around, the queen took in another deep breadth. "Yes, I am away…they can't get through the barrier anyway, and if they somehow manage to do it…which I'm sure they won't…I'm ready…it's time I took care of Rosalina Toadstool…once and for all…" ,said the Queen.

**Things are about to get serious, soon the Shadow Queen and Rosalina will have to face each other, but who will win…and will there actually even be a winner? Chapter 16 comes out Aug. 27.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16*sorrow*

"Rosalina, are you sure this is a good idea?" ,asked Bowser as the crowd continued to advance to the castle. "What other choice do we have?" ,Rosalina asked. Suddenly the barrier around the castle disappeared, and a flood of undead creatures ran out to attack. "Brace yourselves!" ,Bowser shouted, although none of the crowd showed any sign of pulling back. It was only seconds before a huge battle took place, people were flying everywhere as if it was a garbage disposal for people. Dragons were flying around blasting there fire all over the place, you could see the flashes of light from the wands of the wizards, the wolves were ripping everyone they could to shreds. All of a sudden, Rosalina met up with Fax and Bowser, commanding them to grab on to her hands. After doing so, they warped inside the castle to search for the Shadow Queen to finish the deed. The castle was surprisingly calm and quiet, for there was not a soul inside of it, but Rosalina knew that the queen was there, she could feel her presence on the top floor. "Rosalina, how are we gonna do this…I mean, we have the sword and all, but how are we going to go about doing this?" ,asked Fax as they continued to climb the staircases. "Well…I'm going to go in and find her, you guys are going to cover me…I sense it, there are still people inside this castle, be alert!" ,Rosalina said, before stopping at the large door that led to her bedroom. "Be careful!" ,Bowser said. "I will…" ,Rosalina replied before opening the door and closing it behind her, turning to see the queen looking out on the balcony. "So you came!" ,said the queen. "Yes, you thought I would just leave you alone?" ,Rosalina asked sarcastically. "You don't get it do you?" ,laughed the queen. "No…actually, I don't…why do you continue to torture this great land, answer me!" ,shouted Rosalina. "Because, it was cruel to me…this was once my home…I created this place…" ,said the queen before pausing dramatically. "What are you talking about?" ,Rosalina asked. "This kingdom had to start sometime…hahaha…I…am…the original Queen Toadstool!" ,laughed the Shadow Queen as she turned around to look at Rosalina. "But…but that would make you…" ,Rosalina was paused. "Yes…it would make me fifteen-hundred years old…hahaha…you really have no chance against my powers!" ,said the queen. Rosalina took a step backwards in somewhat of fear. "I was the queen…but then my people overthrew me…they thought I was too…cruel…I guess their descendants will know exactly just how cruel I can be! Hahaha!" ,laughed the queen. "I think not!" ,Rosalina said as she pulled out the sword. "How dare you bring that thing to my sanctuary!" ,shouted the queen before firing blasts of dark energy at Rosalina. "You will fall!" ,shouted Rosalina as she ran out of the room, Fax sealing the doors shut behind her.

Rosalina then quickly sat down on the stairs to absorb the information she just received, trying hard not to believe it. While she, Bowser, and Fax sat on the stairs, the battle raged on. They finally got up and walked to the front of the castle, watching as hundreds of people were dying by the second.

Greyback walked into where the queen was, as she began to struggle for control once more. "My queen, what shall I do?" ,he asked. The queen instantly became angry and turned to him quickly. "Nothing! I need energy…and I think I know where to get it…" ,she said as she grasped for breadth. "Where your majesty?" ,he asked. "You…you were useful to me for a time Greyback…but you have lost value, I must live on…you have been a pain in my side for quite some time now…always wining, always asking if you can help me…I do not need it!" ,said the queen as she walked closer to him. "What do you mean?" ,said Greyback, but before he could step back, the queen formed a dagger and shoved it inside his stomach. Falling to the floor, blood gushing out of his mouth and stomach, Greyback began to tear up. "Your brother was right, I can't be trusted, I only care about myself…hahaha…" ,said the queen before absorbing his energy and warping away. Greyback then called for Titan, and amidst the fighting, Titan heard his voice. "Titan…if…you can here…me…you were…right…and…I'm sorry…" ,Greyback said slowly. For Titan, it was if time had stopped, for Greyback, things were starting to speed up faster and faster. He then began to remember what had happened in the past.

"Darius, will you please play with me?" "Yes Titan, what do you want to play?" "Cops and Robbers!" "Really? We played that yesterday!" "Ok, then…Cowboys and Indians!" "Ok, I'll be the Indians!" "Alright!"

"Hey, Darius…do you think I will be able to do the things you do…one of these days?" "Umm…you probably won't want to…I'm not even sure I do…" "How come?" "Never mind about that…let's get some ice cream!" "Ok!"

"He's hanging out with those bunch of creeps again honey!" "I know…and look at what I found on his computer…" "This is getting worse and worse" "I know, but what should we do?" "Maybe you should talk to him David!" "I've tried, but it doesn't work out…he just pretends like I don't exist…I think it has to do with the fact that…I'm not his real father…" "You can't mean that…Darius loves you!" "I'm not so sure…I don't even know why I bother trying…" "Because you promised me…you promised that you would be a better father than his true father was…" "Yes, you're right…"

"I just don't understand why you keep doing this Darius!" "It's nothing…why do you care anyway!" "Because we love you!" "Yeah right…mom…you don't even pay attention to me anymore…and you…all you did was help bring another…dumb kid into the house…I was fine with Titan…but now Qase!" "Stop it…let's go play now Darius…" "Sorry kid…but I'm not going to put up with this anymore…" "Darius…I really tried with you…and I hate to say it…but if you walk out that door…then I won't let you back in!" "That's fine with me!" "No Darius…don't leave me!" "…the names Greyback now…sorry kid…but the fun had to end some time…" "Darius no! Don't leave me alone…I need you!" "Sorry Titan…but I have to do this…there's no turning back…I'm leaving…"

Greyback began to weep uncontrollably, as did Titan as those two words continued to echo through their minds. "I'm leaving…" Titan fell to the floor, slamming his blade on the ground, as he continued to pound his fist into the cold hard concrete. "I'm sorry Titan…I still loved you…" ,Greyback whispered before falling over and closing his eyes. Fax watched helplessly as Titan continued to wail out in pain, howling and weeping. Rosalina buried her head deep into Bowser's neck, trying not to show her emotion, but even Bowser couldn't hold back at the sight of seeing his best buddy in so much grief. Titan had lost both of his brother's now, almost consecutively. The battle continued to rage on, but it was as if something had been keeping it from reaching Titan and the others in this moment of grieving. "Fax wrapped her arms around him, stroking his soft, gray fur as she cried as well. "I'm leaving…"

After moving Titan inside the castle and onto the stairs, Rosalina walked back outside, while Fax and Bowser tried to console Titan. She began to grow angry and determined, but even though she now had the ability of separating Peach and the Shadow Queen, she still had know idea how to destroy the queen's soul. She decided to go off into the woods to pray, knowing that that is what her mother was trying to tell her to in the beginning. "Look my lovely shining star…do not forget your destiny…in darkness and in light…"

Rosalina walked into the dark, cold forest, finding a nearby stump and sitting on it. She closed her eyes, and proceeding, everything was silent as she spoke. "I am here…I know you have something to tell me…so please, my heart aches to protect my people from more suffering…" ,Rosalina cried out, and suddenly she could feel a change in the air, and even though she could not see anything, she could sense that the area had become lighter. She then opened her eyes and saw a brightly shining figure, so bright that she could not see the identity of the figure. "You have come as I requested…" ,said the figure. "Yes, I am here…I have come to seek your help…" ,Rosalina said humbly before her creator. "I have been waiting so long for you to say it…welcome!" ,said the creator. Rosalina began to tear up from the overwhelming joy and peace she felt in standing in his presence. "What shall I do to stop her?" ,she asked. "Believe in me…and you will know what to do…it will not be an easy task…but you must sacrifice all that you have…this will allow your wish to be granted…but it will not work unless, you do this in my name…Rosalina…" ,said the creator. "Yes…I understand…" ,said Rosalina. "Then go…you are ready!" ,said the creator, his voice slowly fading out as Rosalina blinked and she was back in the forest. Rosalina then knew what she had to do…she knew it would not be easy…but she knew she would give her all…

"I'm fine now guys, really I am…the only important thing now is protecting the princess!" ,Titan said in a determined tone. "Speaking of Rosalina, where the heck did she run off to?" ,Fax said in fear as she looked around. "That's not important!" ,said Jewels as her, Valentina, Yin, and Tray walked in the room. "Haven't you guys had enough?" ,Bowser shouted in anger. "Let's teach 'em a lesson!" ,Titan said as he rose to his feet. "Try your best son of a bitch!" ,shouted Valentina as she fired a barrage of different beams. The beams were coming to fast to be able to dodge, but just in time, Fracshon came bursting in the main hall with Allister, they created a shield that dispersed the beams. "Clever, but let's see how long you can keep it up!" ,Valentina said. She then looked at the others, signaling them to split the group up. Tray lured Titan and Bowser away, while Yin and Jewels ran off with Allister and Fracshon, leaving Fax with Valentina. "Come on…you're a witch right…hit me with a curse!" ,taunted Valentina as her and Fax went round and round, firing blast after blast, not taking a break in between.

"Titan…sorry about your bro!" ,laughed Tray as he chased Titan through the forest. Bowser then tried to sneak up from behind and hit Tray in the head, but it didn't work. On the other side of the castle, Allister and Fracshon were in a tag team battle with Jewels and Yin, only the odds were against the boys since one of Yin's specialties was duplicating herself. "Come on now, you can do better than that!" ,shouted Jewels as Fracshon swung out and missing her head. "We're just poor innocent girls!" ,chuckled Yin as she and her three clones circled around Allister.

The Shadow Queen stood out on the north tower, watching the battle rage on, when suddenly the door opened up. "I'm back…and I have a score to settle with you…" ,said Rosalina. The queen instantly turned around and fired a blast, hitting and destroying the door, Rosalina nowhere to be found. "I'm right here…" ,she said as the queen turned around to look at her. Rosalina could tell that the queen had great fear, as she continued to fire blast after blast, Rosalina knocking them away with the sword. "Why do you continue to disappear and reappear…die out already!" ,shouted the queen. Rosalina then warped up to the third floor of the castle, the Shadow Queen transforming to a cloud of smoke and following. "You won't get away from me!" ,she shouted as she chased Rosalina through the ceiling, continuing to fire blasts of dark energy. Rosalina then stopped, landing on an unsteady archway. "You're a fool, I will destroy you!" ,shouted the queen as she destroyed the pillar. Rosalina then fire her own blast of energy through the sword, directing her fire at the wall, allowing herself to warp higher while the queen struggled to get through the rubble. "Stop!" ,she shouted as she flew up higher once more, chasing after Rosalina. Rosalina then finally stopped at the top floor of the castle where there was an opening, she could see the battle going on outside, as she took a great leap of faith by throwing the sword down into the courtyard. "There's nowhere else to run…Why don't you just give up now!" ,shouted the Shadow Queen as she walked closer, Rosalina retreating farther back. "Ok…" ,Rosalina said as she reached the edge, closing her eyes and falling backwards of the tower. The Shadow Queen stood amazed as she watched Rosalina plummet to her doom. Rosalina would not open her eyes as she felt the wind pick up speed. "Now!" ,she whispered as she felt something…

**To be continued…this is it…no turning back now…what is Rosalina thinking? Chapter 17, sept. 2****nd****…**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17*Heart and Soul*

Rosalina closed her eyes and fell backward off the tower, as the Shadow Queen watched in amazement. At that time, Bowser and Titan witnessed her fall, it was then that Bowser left Titan and ran as fast as he could. He leaped up onto an archway and proceeded to jump. "Now…" ,Rosalina whispered. The Shadow Queen saw Bowser trying at his heroic attempt and she too jumped off the tower, holding a dagger in her hand, attempting to seal the deal. Rosalina then felt Bowser latch onto her, landing on an archway and then back into the courtyard as the Shadow Queen plummeted helplessly to the ground.

"Bowser…I knew you would come!" ,Rosalina said with a smile. "What was that about?" ,Bowser asked as he took in a deep breadth. "You'll see…in time…I love you!" ,Rosalina said before pulling him close and sharing a very deep kiss. "I love you too…we'll always be together!" ,Bowser said as he smiled big.

"How touching!" ,Tray said. Titan grew angry, but yet he calmed down and spoke. "Give me strength!" Suddenly, his powers escalated and he took his sword and drove it straight through Tray's chest, thus destroying him. After witnessing this, Fax, Allister, and Fracshon did the same thing, and they were able to overcome their enemies with ease.

Fax, Titan, Allister, and Fracshon then met up with Rosalina and Bowser in the courtyard. "That was awesome guys!" ,Rosalina said as she gave them all hugs. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to do it!" ,Titan said. "Don't thank me!" ,Rosalina replied. Everyone continued to talk and congratulate each other as the army of undead soldiers disappeared. The crowd then all huddled into the courtyard for a celebration, the war was over! Until Fax heard a noise, turning around to see what it was, she saw the Shadow Queen rise to her feet. "Rosalina, look out!" ,Fax shouted as everyone stepped back. Rosalina then pushed Bowser out of the way, and at the same time, Rosalina and the queen fired a blast of energy at each other, the connection of the blasts was so powerful that everything around them, the archways, even the floor beneath them began to crumble apart. Fracshon then saw the sword lying on the ground and ran, grabbing it and thrusting it up into the queen's back. Her eyes widened as she fell to the floor, revealing Peach's body, completely unharmed. The queen's true form was then revealed, as Rosalina's heart pounded violently, she knew what to do. She raised her hands and a bright light began to glow over her chest as the queen's soul began to be sucked into Rosalina's body. Bowser then knew what was about to take place. It was as if time was in slow motion as he ran towards Rosalina, but it was too late, after the queen was inside Rosalina, a tear dropped from her face as she utter one last word. "Sorry…" Then it was that a large explosion occurred, blasting Bowser back onto the ground.

The Shadow Queen was destroyed, and in the midst of the explosion was Rosalina and Loretta, floating off into the distance. Bowser pounded the ground hard, tears rolling down his face. All of the others didn't know what to do, Fax fell to the ground as well, bursting into tears. The war was finally over, but at a terrible price…

Rosalina then awoke, suspending in a brightly lit area. She looked down at herself and realized that she was completely unclothed and was in shock at this sight. "Why do you stand before me in shame?" ,said the creator. "I…I am…" ,Rosalina could not even say it. "You are as I created you…It is the philosophy of the world you once lived in that has corrupted the body…I created you this way as a symbol of purity…Rosalina…you have done well…you are a very courageous young woman…you are…pure…" ,said the creator. "Have I completed my task?" ,Rosalina asked. "Yes, my dear…you have…and thus your journey is complete…and now I shall let you have your reward!" ,said the creator. "My reward?" ,asked Rosalina. "Yes, now you may pass into my kingdom!" ,said the creator as a large shining door opened up. "But…but what about…" ,Rosalina was then stopped. "She has already been forgiven, and she is waiting for you…inside…take a look…" ,laughed the creator. Rosalina then smiled, knowing that her friends would be alright without her, and willingly entered in through the door for eternity.

"Well, it's finally over…" ,Birdy said as she walked into the courtyard. "But without a princess, what will we do?" ,asked a man from the crowd. Bowser stepped forward tall and strong. "I will…if you'll let me!" ,he said. A moment of silence fell over the area until a large cry came from the crowd in excitement. "You'll make a great king!" ,Fax whispered as she walked off into the castle. The crowd returned to the town as the storm lifted, peace could now reign!

All of the group looked over in front of the damaged castle, everything was completely destroyed. "So how do we fix this mess?" ,Titan asked, but before anyone could answer, a bright light swept over the courtyard, and the image of a female appeared. Her voice was soft and echoing across the kingdom, her shine was radiant, her presence was peaceful, it reminded Bowser of a special someone… "You have done well…As a special gift…I shall restore all that was lost…but be careful…it is now your turn my friends, it is your turn to uphold the law…and keep this kingdom a humble sanctuary to the one that made it possible…and so, now the gift…receive it!" ,said the woman, and instantly everything was as new and the woman disappeared leaving behind the small child that Rosalina had found out in the front yard of the house those many months ago. Bowser went over to the little girl, picked her up, and smiled largely. "I'll take care of you now…Rosetta…" ,he said as everyone gathered around and went inside the castle.

The next day…there was held a ceremony, everyone in the kingdom gathered in the courtyard around a large object, covered with a cloak. Bowser stood up on a podium in front of the object holding the baby as he prepared to give a speech. "Now…all of you know why we are here…to honor our lost princess…and though we feel that it is a time to mourn…it is a time to rejoice…she has left all of us with so much…she has touched all of our hearts…and I know she is looking down on us now…smiling, laughing, and awaiting us in eternity…that was something she believed in…she believed that this world was created by a highly intelligent being…a being of peace, happiness, joy…and so I believe this also…she had always desired that her people believe the same…but as she well knew…she could not force anyone…and she would never force anyone…it is our individual choice…but I stand here today to say…that we will always remember her…and so this statue was built…for future generations…" ,Bowser paused for a moment to reveal the statue of Rosalina, erected in remembrance of her. "We will always remember Rosalina Elizabeth Toadstool…" ,Bowser closed with those words as he lay down a red rose in front of the statue. At that time, everyone took turns going up to the statue to pay their tribute, some left flowers, some gave an honorable salute, and many tears were shed. Fax walked up to the statue, admiring it until everyone had left. "Girl…I'm gonna miss ya…but you left the kingdom in good hands, I gotta say…I'll never forget when we first met…you'll be in my heart forever…" ,she whispered as she kissed her hand and touched the stone of the statue, thus walking back to the castle. And there she stood, Rosalina, by her statue, smiling, as she watched Fax enter the castle. "And you'll always be in mine…" ,she whispered before fading away.

Things began to change not long after that. Pauline went off to finish cooking school, becoming a world renown chef of twenty-three thousand restaurants. Crystal went off to pursue her singing career, having an awesome record deal, and producing several albums. Haylee back with Titan, Allister, Peach, and Daisy back to school, graduating successfully. Birdy and Toadette went off together, without saying good-bye, off to pursue their own happiness. After Titan finished high school, him and Fax got married and went on to college together. Fracshon went on to become a professional dancer. And of course, Bowser stayed at the castle with his daughter, ruling as king and being a wonderful father. There were many others that were in the group such as Claire, Mario and Luigi, but know one ever heard from them again after the war…

Ten years later…Bowser was playing with Rosetta out in the courtyard when Rosetta stopped to look at her mother's statue. Bowser stopped and smiled before walking over to her, assuming she had a few questions. "What was she like, papa?" ,Rosetta asked. "Well, she was kind, gentle, she had a way of making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, no matter how rough your day was going…she reminds me of you!" ,Bowser answered. "Do you think…she loved me?" ,Rosetta said with her head held down low. Bowser knelt down on one knee and raised her head up. "Yes…she loved you…and she still does…" ,he said with a grin.

Bowser then motioned Rosetta to go in for her piano lesson, looking up at the statue. "You were awesome rose…" ,he said as a gentle breeze blew across his cheek. He then formed a rose in his hand, just like the first time they met, placing it on the pedestal in front of the statue. "I love you…" ,he said. He closed his eyes, feeling something touch his lip, as if she was standing right in front of him. He then opened his eyes, smiled large once more, and went back into the castle. **The End.**


End file.
